Boulevard of Broken Dreams
by Leeese
Summary: Brooke Davis never gave much thought to life after high school. She enjoyed the limelight that came with being popular too much to care. After a life changing event, many people's dreams are in tatters. Some are still able to achieve theirs while others spiral down into deep despair. Will the people that are meant to be together find their way in the end? (Formerly Infatuation).
1. Chapter 1

**Here's another one of my new ideas. I will be completely changing the timeline OTH fans know, just to suit my plot. Hope you guys enjoy this first chapter. As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated. Enjoy.**

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><p>"So Brooke, have you decided what you're gonna say in the time capsule?" Rachel Gatina asked her friend as they walked down the hallway of Tree Hill High.<p>

"Not at all," Brooke replied. "I think I'm just gonna wing it."

"I'm just gonna tell everyone about the wonderfulness that is Jake." Peyton Sawyer said with a laugh.

"I'm gonna propose to Skills." Bevin Mirksey said with a shrug.

"Bevin you do realize that this is going to be buried for fifty years right?" Quinn James asked her with a chuckle.

"Oh yeah," Bevin replied. "I'm still gonna do it though."

"Brooke could always talk about that loser Scott being obsessed with her," Mia Catalano said joining in the conversation. "He's probably gonna be gushing about how much he loves her and wants her."

"And how he jerks off to fantasies of her." Lindsey Strauss added.

"Come on guys stop it," Brooke told them. "He might hear you. And who else am I gonna get to do my calculus homework for free?"

"Speaking of the bastard spawn," Rachel said. "He's heading this way."

"Maybe he wants to sniff Brooke as he's walking past her." Peyton said as she laughed.

"God I can't believe my sister is friends with _that_!" Quinn scoffed as Lucas stopped at his locker.

"I have to go and do some flirting with him," Brooke said as she pulled her shirt down, exposing a little more cleavage. "I have calculus homework due today."

"Go get him tiger!" Bevin said giddily. The girls watched as Brooke strutted over to Lucas Scott. She leaned against the locker to his left sexily. Rachel and Peyton were in hysterics at her performance. Lucas turned his attention to her after a few moments.

"Hey Brooke." he greeted as he let his eyes wander over her figure. She saw him swallow hard as he did and smiled. His eyes then moved back up her body to her face.

"Lucas," she replied coolly. She subtly leaned her top half a little more towards him and looked up at him through hooded eyes before she continued talking. "Did you manage to get my calculus homework done?"

"Yeah," he replied in a husky voice. He rummaged around in his locker and pulled out Brooke's assignment sheet. He handed it to her but kept hold of it. "You know the offer is still there if you want me to tutor you."

She smiled and bit her lip playfully drawing his eyes to her mouth. She moved towards him so her lips were next to his ear. She made sure her chest brushed against him as she spoke.

"I might take you up on that offer," she whispered. She heard him swallow as her breath tickled his ear. She could see the girls over his shoulder and she winked at them. "You never know I might turn up on your doorstep after a game one day. In my cheer uniform."

With that she was able to get the assignment from his grasp and she strutted back over to the girls. Lucas stood at his locker dumbfounded as he imagined Brooke in his room in her cheer uniform.

"I take it the bastard spawn is gonna be walking around horny all day after that little performance?" Peyton asked Brooke as she strutted back over to them.

"Maybe he will," Brooke said with a devilish smile. "I kind of have that affect on him."

"And all the other guys in school." Bevin pointed out.

"I can't help it." Brooke replied with a knowing smile as she placed her calculus assignment into her book bag.

"Here come the guys." Lindsey said happily.

The girls looked up as Nathan Scott, Jake Jagielski, Owen Morello and Chase Adams from the basketball team came along the hallway, along with rich wild child Clay Evans and his equally rich sidekick Julian Baker. They walked past Lucas and Nathan deliberately knocked into him and pushed him back into the row of lockers.

"Watch it douche bag!" Nathan said as he glared at Lucas. Lucas glared back. "You're such a waste of space!"

Nathan then headed over to the rest of the guys and they laughed as he came up to them. They had heard what he said to Lucas. Lucas stayed stood at the lockers, his jaw clenched in anger. The more he tried to not rise to Nathan's taunts and insults the worse he felt and the harder it became not to bite. He glared over at the popular crowd and found Brooke looking over at him. She had an expression he couldn't quite fathom. She saw him looking and quickly turned her head away.

"So Brooke, did you get your homework off that jack waving doob?" Owen asked her.

"Jack waving what?" Brooke asked as she gave Owen an odd look. He just shrugged. "Where do you come up with the verbal diarrhea that comes out of that mouth of yours?"

"Mainly in my car when I'm driving." Owen replied. Brooke just looked at him like he had grown an extra head and he chuckled.

"You're really weird you know that?" Mia asked Owen.

"So Brooke I got an idea of what you can do in your time capsule video." Rachel said with a smile.

"What?" Brooke asked a little hesitantly.

"Flash your boobs." Rachel replied. Brooke's eyes almost fell out of her head.

"Like hell I will." Brooke said with a frown.

"Brooke, by the time somebody sees it, you'll be a granny and your boobs will be sagging by your waist from all the kids you and Nathan are gonna have!" Peyton told her with a laugh.

"Who says I'm gonna have Nathan's kids?" Brooke asked puzzled. Nathan too frowned at Peyton's comment.

"Oh come on!" Lindsey said as she shook her head. "We all know you guys hooked up at the end of season party last year."

"That was last year," Nathan said still frowning. "We've both moved on."

"Like I'd go back for seconds after that performance!" Brooke said as she kinked her eyebrow at Nathan. Nathan looked at her and gave her a wink in response.

"I didn't hear any complaints at the time." He challenged her as he smirked.

"I was practically in an alcohol coma!" Brooke reminded him. "So there might have been."

"Come on Brooke. I dare you to do it!" Rachel said with a grin. "And I dare Nathan to drop his pants!"

"Hell no!" Nathan said immediately.

"Why not? Are you chicken?" Quinn asked him.

"He's probably got something to be embarrassed about." Lindsey said.

"No I don't!" Nathan insisted looking offended. "Brooke can verify that!"

"Well do it then!" Peyton said as Brooke grinned.

"Whatever! You're weird!" Nathan said with a scowl. "Why do you want us to expose ourselves on camera anyway Peyton? It's not like you're gonna see it."

"Chicken!" Rachel called after him as he walked off. Rachel turned her attention to Brooke. "So are you gonna do it?"

"I'll think about it." Brooke said as she too headed away from the crowd. Lucas watched from a safe distance.

**~X~**

"How has your day been?" Haley James asked Lucas at lunch time. They were sat at their usual table along with Skills, Mouth, Millie and Jimmy Edwards.

"Not too bad," Lucas replied. "I've only had one run in with that ass wipe."

"What did he do this time?" Mouth asked.

"Shoved me into the lockers and called me a douche bag and a waste of space." Lucas replied.

"He's the douche bag." Jimmy replied in an angry voice.

"Ugh he's on his way over too." Millie mumbled.

"Hey I have a message to pass on," Nathan said as he looked at Lucas and smirked. "_My_ dad hated you so much, he was going to get you some bath toys in the form of a toaster and an iron but your mom refused to let you play with them."

"That's a low blow," Lucas replied as his eyes narrowed. "Talking of low blows how _is_ your mom? Her knees aren't getting sore yet are they?"

Lucas's friends sniggered between themselves as Nathan's jaw clenched in anger. He suddenly lunged and grabbed hold of Lucas's shirt and pulled him from his seat. Lucas smiled, glad that he'd finally hit a nerve after all this time.

"Go on hit me," Lucas told him. "Whitey's right over there and that will be you missing far too many games. Then _daddy_ dearest won't be happy will he?"

"You're not even worth it," Nathan said as he pushed Lucas. Lucas went flying and landed on his ass on the floor. "Just like _my_ dad says it wasn't worth his time and effort to create you."

"Aww is he whining about those five seconds?" Lucas snapped back as he pulled himself up from the floor and sat back in his seat. Nathan glared at Lucas before he turned and walked away.

"Man that was a _great_ come back." Skills told Lucas.

"Well I've had plenty of time to come up with one huh?" Lucas asked rhetorically. "I mean it's only twelve years of my life he's been making hell."

"That whole crowd needs to be taught a lesson." Jimmy said as he glared at them.

"Brooke's okay." Lucas told him.

"You're only saying that because you love her!" Mouth teased him playfully.

"She doesn't insult me," Lucas told him. "I don't mind doing her calculus homework because she flirts with me to get it. You should have seen how low she pulled her shirt this morning to get it."

"Can we please not have this conversation when me and Millie are present?" Haley asked him as she pulled a grossed out face.

"You seriously want to go back to the conversation we were having before Butt Munch Scott butted in?" Jimmy asked her.

"Yes," Haley told him. "We didn't find out what everybody's porn star names were yet."

"You found out mine Bunny Beaugard." Lucas told her with a chuckle.

"Shut it Rocket Roe." Haley retorted.

"How old _are_ you guys?" Mouth asked them as he shook his head.

"That conversation was lame guys!" Skills told them.

"Don't look at me," Lucas said. "Haley James here is the one who got onto that particular topic."

"I have a subject we can talk about," Jimmy said. "We can talk about how the hell Haley can tutor that smug bastard Scott."

"You mean Nathan?" Haley asked.

"Who else around here has that surname?" Skills asked.

"The way Dan obviously slept around there could be a few." Lucas told him.

"I don't get what Nathan's problem is with you Luke," Jimmy said with a frown. "I mean you've done nothing to him and you can't help who fathered you. Unless he knows about your infatuation with his play thing."

"He's probably upset that I share a part of his gene pool," Lucas replied. "I'm just glad that Dan had no say in how my mom brought me up. I think I got the better end of the deal in Keith."

"Keith rocks!" Mouth said with a smile.

"Like I said, I got the better end of the deal." Lucas repeated with a fond smile.

**~X~**

"So did you flash the camera Brooke?" Rachel asked her as they waited in the gym for their gym teacher.

"I may have," Brooke replied cryptically. "You'll have to wait fifty years. You never know the cops might show up on my doorstep and arrest me for indecent exposure."

"You did didn't you?" Peyton asked her incredulously.

"God Brooke Davis is such a tease!" Mia added.

"I didn't say I had done it did I?" Brooke asked them as she kinked her eyebrow. "Maybe we should ask Nathan and see if he did any flashing?"

"Why are the boys coming in here?" Lindsey asked as she saw them file into the gym with Whitey.

"Okay listen up ladies and gentlemen! Mrs. Whittaker had to go home sick so today you'll be having a mixed gym class. And we'll be doing circuit training." Whitey yelled. He was met by a round of groans.

"Circuit training?" Brooke asked in disbelief.

"That's gonna kill my abs!" Peyton said worriedly.

"Why did they have to put us in with the boys?" Haley asked Millie quietly.

"I know," Millie replied. "Circuit training usually involves lots of jumping and running. Three guesses what the boys are gonna be looking at."

"You'll be working in teams of two and rather than have people be left out of the picking, I'm gonna pair you all up," Whitey told them with a smile. "And we're having boy girl pairs."

"I hope he doesn't stick me with Nathan!" Haley whispered as she cringed. She really didn't want to embarrass herself in front of him as it would only give him ammo to tease her.

"Nathan Scott you're with Haley James." Whitey told them.

"Ooh what did Haley do to deserve that punishment?" Skills asked Lucas.

"Morello you're with Rachel Gatina." Whitey continued.

"Thanks coach!" Owen grinned as he went over to his girlfriend.

"Jagielski your partner is Peyton Sawyer," Whitey announced. He had decided to pair up the couples he knew of to stop unnecessary whining. Haley had just been unlucky. Baker you're with Lindsey Strauss."

"Sweet!" Lindsey said happily.

"Evans, Quinn James," Whitey continued. "Adams, Mia Catalano. McFadden with Millicent Huxtable, Taylor with Bevin Mirksey."

"Sweet I get my woman!" Skills said to Lucas quietly. Lucas and Jimmy laughed.

"Lucas Scott you're with Brooke Davis. Edwards you're with Abby Brown." Whitey called. Lucas felt like he had just won the lottery and had to stop himself from grinning like a Cheshire cat as he went over to Brooke. After Whitey had worked through pairing the rest of the classes together, the pairs began their circuit training.

"Why did I have to wear this top for gym today?" Brooke muttered to herself as she realized how low it actually was.

She was only doing her warm up stretches yet she knew how bad she would look when doing the things on the list. She had also read their first item on the circuit training sheet Whitey had handed out. They were all different so that each pair of students would be doing a different action or activity at all times.

"You ready to do your squat thrusts Brooke?" Lucas asked her as they finished their warm up.

"Not really." she replied as she moved into a push up position.

Lucas was stood at the top of her and Brooke knew he would be able to see down her tiny vest top. Lucas couldn't help but stare as her top drooped down at the front slightly. He had to swallow harshly as she brought both of her knees up to her chest and then extended them again. He became mesmerized as she repeated the action for her set of thirty.

"Thank God you're not wearing that ugly ass poncho," Nathan said to Haley as he helped her do her sit ups. He was holding her feet to floor securely. "It looked like someone had puked on a spider web or something."

Haley ignored him. She just carried on concentrating on not looking like she was having some kind of seizure as she carried on attempting her sit ups.

"Now that's what I'm talking about right there baby!" Skills said appreciatively as he watched Bevin doing her bicycle kicks. She was on her back waving her legs in the air and Skills was taking the opportunity to check out her ass. "Damn this has to be the best gym class ever!"

**~X~**

Just under an hour later, the class was coming to an end and the pairs of students were helping each other warm down. Lucas was helping Brooke with a chest stretch, by holding her arms back. The class had been both too short and too long. It was too short because he wanted to spend more time with Brooke how they were. It was too long as he had been horny throughout the entire thing. He was dreading when she had to help him do his stretches.

"See working together creates a good bond between your fellow students," Whitey said as he wandered in between the stretching pairs. He couldn't help but notice how some of the boys were letting hands wander. "Letting someone else ease out those muscles is sometimes better than doing it yourself."

"Don't I know it?" Rachel said with a smirk as Owen helped her stretch. "I get Owen to do that for me most nights!"

"Miss Gatina, do you want detention tomorrow?" Whitey asked as the class laughed.

"Not really." Rachel replied from her spot on the floor where Owen was lifting her legs and helping work the tension out of the muscle.

"Then zip it!" Whitey told her.

Lucas couldn't help but chuckle as he heard Whitey say that. He quickly became uncomfortable again as he had to sit on the floor with his feet together and his knees bent. Brooke then knelt in front of him and pushed his knees towards the floor creating a diamond shape in the gap between his legs. He felt his face getting hot as he realized that he couldn't hide the affect the class had had on him. He knew Brooke had spotted it when her eyebrow kinked. She looked at him and smiled naughtily.

"Lucas this stretch is supposed to prevent you getting a groin strain," Brooke told him in an amused voice. She looked pointedly at his crotch as she said. "Not create one."

Lucas was now way beyond embarrassed. He just wanted the class to be over so he could run into the locker room, grab his things and get home. He was glad this was the last class of the day.

"Sorry." He mumbled almost inaudibly. Brooke suddenly felt bad for teasing him.

"Hey, I think I'd be offended if you weren't all hot and bothered by me," she told him quietly. "I know this shirt makes my boobs look amazing and I also know you've taken every available opportunity to stare. And feel when you're cooling me down."

Brooke's words were doing absolutely nothing to calm him down. If anything he was getting more worked up. It didn't help that she still had her hands pressing his knees down and he had a clear view down the shirt. Brooke didn't see that he was staring down her shirt as she was still eyeing his crotch. They were finally done with the cool down and she moved her hands from his knee. She crawled forward slightly and whispered.

"It's like you have three legs." She then quickly stood and headed straight for the girls locker room leaving Lucas sat in a stunned daze.

"Dawg what's up with you?" Skills asked as he came over to Lucas and held a hand out to help him up.

"I think Brooke just complimented me." Lucas said with a frown.

"Damn she must have some major ass assignment due if she's doing that." Skills told him as they headed into the locker room.

**~X~**

Lucas had waited until everybody else had gone before he jumped in the shower. Whitey had made a big show of making them all shower before they left, no matter how long it took. He had spouted some line about keeping up a good image for the school. Lucas had silently cursed and waited until he was alone before venturing near the shower. Now he was stood under the warm spray of the shower trying to will his body to relax. He was failing miserably however. He switched off the water after deciding he had to get home and sort his predicament out there and turned round to get his towel. He frowned when he found the spot where he had put it was empty. He headed to the wall that sectioned the showers off from the gym and peeked over it to see if it was on the floor. There was nothing. He frowned as he emerged from the shower timidly and scuttled along to his locker. He found it open and everything had been taken out of it. He looked around the locker room and found it unusually tidy; there wasn't a scrap of clothing to be seen anywhere. The only thing he found were two basketballs sitting on a shelf. He sighed as he picked them up. He just hoped that they covered him enough until he found some scrap of clothing or fabric to cover himself.

He debated about what to do as he realized that this was obviously down to Nathan or one of his followers. The idea popped into his head to make a crazy dash into the girls' locker room, which was right next to the boys and grab a towel from in there. He hoped that they had some lying around somewhere. He just hoped that when he stepped out of the locker room door, there wouldn't be a huge crowd of people. He placed one ball over his crotch and sighed as he realized it didn't really cover anything consider his current state. With the other, he tried to cover his ass. He managed to open the door to the locker room while somehow keeping hold of the basketballs. He peeked his head out of it and was relieved to find the hallway deserted. Before he could talk himself out of doing what he had planned he stepped out of the boys' locker room and quickly headed towards the girls'. To his horror as he approached the door, he saw somebody was opening it. He didn't have time to run back to the boys' locker room as he was spotted almost instantly.

"I don't remember ordering a naked ball boy." Brooke said as she came out of the girls' locker room. Lucas groaned inwardly. _Why did it have to be Brooke?_

"Me neither." Lucas replied and then mentally kicked himself. Brooke laughed at his response.

"So why exactly _are_ you naked in the school hallway save for the balls that are covering your balls?" Brooke asked as she kinked her eyebrow.

"Somebody stole my towel _and_ my clothes," Lucas replied way beyond embarrassed. "Can I ask you a huge favor?"

"Well that all depends on what that favor is Lucas." Brooke replied playfully.

"You couldn't grab me a towel from someplace could you?" Lucas asked her hopefully.

"What's in it for me?" Brooke asked with a smile.

"This horrible sight is shielded from your eyes?" Lucas suggested.

"You're right it _is_ horrible," she said as she smiled. She quickly reached out and grabbed the ball that was at the front of him and moved it. Lucas didn't even have time to react. "Now it's better."

"Brooke!" Lucas said as his eyes went wide. He tried to bring the other ball round to cover him but Brooke stopped him.

"Let me enjoy the view for a moment." she told him as she grinned wickedly. He saw her rummaging around in her gym bag. Part of him dreaded what she was going to pull out of it. He breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled a towel out and handed it to him.

"Thanks Brooke," he replied gratefully as he quickly dropped the basketball and wrapped her towel around his waist. "I owe you big time."

"I'm thinking this will keep me in calculus homework until graduation." She told him as she smiled wickedly. The towel didn't meet and there was a two inch gap that showed his right thigh and hip.

"Me too," Lucas agreed. "Now I just have to figure out how I'm getting home."

"I could give you a ride," Brooke told him. "But it will cost you."

"What?" Lucas asked with a sigh.

"English homework." She replied.

"Done." Lucas agreed. He had a brief thought that he would have agreed to anything she had suggested as long as it meant he wouldn't be walking home with just her skimpy towel to cover him.

"I'll go get my car," she told him as she headed towards the exit. "You can put your balls away."

**~X~**

"You know it's a good thing you didn't have to film your time capsule video straight after gym." Brooke said as she drove Lucas home.

"I know," Lucas replied quietly. He was still in shock at Brooke's attitude to him right then. He was half expecting her to drive him to Nathan's to increase his humiliation. "Thanks for this Brooke."

"You won't be thanking me when you have double the assignments to do," she replied as she turned into his street. "I'm gonna say something now and if it ever gets out, I'm gonna deny it okay?"

"Okay." Lucas replied with a frown.

"I think Nathan is going _way_ too far with his harassment of you," Brooke told him shocking him again. "It's not your fault that you both share the same retarded father who's a has been."

"I like this conversation." Lucas told her with a smile as she pulled up outside his house. He could see Keith's car in the driveway, signaling that he was home.

"I don't agree with the things he says to you," Brooke continued. "It could easily have been him in your position. I'm sorry for the things the girls say too."

"I noticed that you don't really join in with that." Lucas told her.

"It's because I don't agree with it. And I'm too chicken to call them out about it because I know if I did, they'll turn on me," Brooke told him honestly. Lucas looked at her amazed. It was like he was seeing her for the first time all over again. "And why would I insult the guy who's made it so my grade in calculus actually gets me through."

"I meant what I said about the tutoring Brooke," he told her. "I can do your homework for you, but I can't take the important tests."

"I know," she told him. "And like I said, I might turn up at your door one day. You better go."

"Thanks for the ride Brooke." Lucas said as he opened the door and climbed out, closing the door behind him.

"Oh and Lucas," Brooke called. He bent slightly to look through the open passenger window. "You have a nice package."

Before he could respond she quickly pulled away from the curb, leaving him stood there in shock. He quickly headed up to his house and went through the front door. He was in too much of a daze at Brooke's words to even think about going through the door that led into his room.

"Usually when people go outside where the public are they wear an invention called clothes and shoes," Keith said in a shocked, yet amused tone. "What the hell happened to you?"

"My clothes were stolen while I was in the shower after gym," Lucas replied. "All I had to cover me were two basketballs and then I ran into Brooke Davis who loaned me this thing that's classed as a towel and she gave me a ride here."

"Who stole your clothes?" Keith asked annoyed even though he knew who probably would have been Nathan.

"I don't know," Lucas replied. "But my guess is Nathan. Whoever it was took my wallet and everything."

"So your money and license were taken too?" Keith asked. Lucas nodded and was thankful the sofa hid his current condition. He couldn't believe he was still horny after what had happened.

"Yeah," Lucas replied. "Look can we talk about this later? I really need to go and cover myself up. I think I've done enough streaking for today."

Keith laughed as Lucas scuttled through the living room and to the bathroom. He needed to relieve the pressure in his groin and needed another shower as his feet were now filthy. He closed and locked the door behind him and was relieved to see the shelf that was full of fluffy white towels.


	2. Chapter 2

**Paigematthewsfan21 – Yeah there is a lot of characters in this huh? It's fun keeping track of them!**

**xXalienatedXx – I haven't either. It's certainly different to write too.**

**Its-OK-to-love – Aww thank you so much! Nope you didn't read the intro wrong that is correct. There is a fair amount of Brucas scenes in this chapter.**

**Craxygirl54 – The reason why the others are doing it shall be revealed in the future. Brooke however will have some bitchy moments with Lucas.**

**Alysef – Wow that has to be the best review EVER! Thank you so much.**

**CaseyJr – There will be drama that's all I can say for now. I don't want to give too much away just yet!**

**Tess-IV – That scene was a last minute add on. I got the idea as I was writing the chapter and thought why the hell not? Glad you liked it!**

**KayyyReneee – Yes Brooke is going to have solo scenes/chapters with each of the guys.**

**Always Brucas, JustLikeBrookeDavis, XHush-HushX, tanya2byour21, fireangel08, Diane Hermans, haleydavisbaker, TinyRooBeauty7, OTH-Fan, Beth-J-Matthews, MollyCW23, Raven-Rachel23, Holly Roberts, Ashley J Scott, The-Ryanator, xXLil'BitofEveryThangXx, Jessica James 23, Alyssia-Owens, Jen loves Nathan, James McLean, JackSawyer99, Eve G, Cheery Rose 23, mari, Nicole_2223, Jason-Carlton, The-Tommynator, Riley Barnes, Danny-Walker, The-Tim22, Lee Martin, John Tate – Thank you all for your lovely reviews! You guys rock!**

**Wow thanks for the amazing response to this story already. So glad that you like it. Thanks to all of you who have added this to alerts and favorites! You rock! Right now I'm just having a little bit of fun with all the characters before the drama begins. Hope you all enjoy this update as much as the first one. Let me know what you think. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Enjoy!**

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><p>"So is it really awkward that you tutor me?" Nathan asked Haley a few weeks later. They had a free period that had turned into a designated tutor session. "Does it piss Lucas off?"<p>

"It's not awkward for me," Haley replied. "I like helping the mentally less fortunate to understand things."

"Ouch!" Nathan replied. "That was a good comeback."

"Yeah well, I've had a lot of time to come up with one." Haley said. Nathan looked at her a little hurt. She didn't see it as she was engrossed in her book.

"You never told me if it pissed Lucas off." He told her.

"Look Nathan, if you can understand calculus and chemistry you should be able to understand that I'm not getting involved in this stupid rivalry you have with Lucas," Haley said annoyed. "I think it's petty and you have no ground to keep tormenting him with the things you do and say. And stealing his clothes and wallet is going too far!"

"I have no idea what you're on about." Nathan replied as he pulled a puzzled face.

"Sure you don't!" she told him as she glared at him.

"No seriously I don't," Nathan told her. He honestly didn't. "What happened?"

"You know damn well what happened," she snapped. "All his clothes, towels and his wallet were stolen from his locker when he was in the shower after the first shared gym class."

"Wait that was the day he waited until everyone was gone," Nathan said as he thought back. "And I couldn't have done it because I was with you while you tutored me remember? I was out of that locker room within twenty minutes and you would have seen his stuff if I had it."

"You probably got one of the guys to do it." Haley insisted.

"Look Haley! It wasn't me! I swear on my spot in the team that I had absolutely nothing to do with that." Nathan said with a sigh. Haley stayed quiet for a few moments as she studied him. His eyes held nothing but honesty.

"Okay I believe you," she told him. "But just lay off him okay?"

"I don't make promises I don't keep." Nathan told her as he stuffed his books into his backpack and stormed out of the tutor session. Haley sighed and began to pack her own away.

**~X~**

"Ladies and gentlemen. I have news for you regarding Mrs. Whittaker. Her surgery went well and she'll be back here in a few months, once her physio is completed," Whitey said to the assembled people in the gym. The female gym teacher had been out climbing the previous weekend and fallen and broken her leg in three places. So the girls were once again forced to have a joined gym class with the guys. "To save time pairing you all up, just have the partners you had the last time. And joy of joys, we're gonna be doing rope climbing. So get yourselves limbered up. We have four ropes so you'll be racing other pairs and the pair that gets both up and down the rope the fastest will be the winners."

The class all groaned at Whitey's words and arranged themselves into the pairs he had put them in, in the first class, as he continued to babble about the rope climbing challenge. Brooke was glad that she had a fitted top on this time, but it was a belly baring one and she had teamed it with a pair of tight shorts. She couldn't wait to tease Lucas and also hoped that she wouldn't get any rope burn or chafing.

"You ready to warm up partner?" she asked him as she gave him a cheeky grin. He couldn't help but grin back.

"Sure am," he replied. "Want me to help you stretch?"

"You just want to feel me up again Lucas," Brooke told him as she kinked her eyebrow. "Don't be giving yourself a groin strain now."

"No it'll be you giving me that," he whispered into her ear. Brooke was pleasantly shocked at his actions. "Come on let's get ourselves prepped and then get this rope climb over with."

"God look at him!" Owen said to Rachel, Julian and Lindsey as he watched Lucas with a frown. "He's like a fucking lap dog."

"I think I can see the drool forming already." Rachel sneered.

"I'm wondering how Brooke is gonna get up the rope in those shorts." Julian said with a chuckle. However, he still watched Lucas to make sure that he didn't do anything that Brooke was uncomfortable with.

"I'm thinking the same thing." Rachel and Lindsey said as they looked down at their own shorts.

"Well if you need me to I can rub something on those chafe marks you'll get." Owen said to Rachel as he grinned.

"Lindsey's used to that aren't you babe?" Julian asked her. "Especially on her back."

"Julian!" Lindsey said as she playfully slapped him.

"Less chatting and more stretching!" Whitey yelled in their direction. The four groaned as they began to warm up.

"Ugh my day just gets worse," Haley moaned as she stretched. Nathan looked at her curiously. "When I attempt to climb a rope I look like a moron having a spaz attack."

"Okay," Nathan said as he laughed. "Just remember the rope goes between your legs, then back out around your knee or calf and then back between the insteps of your sneakers and you clamp your feet together."

"Wow is Nathan Scott giving me gym advice?" Haley asked surprised.

"No it's gym tutoring," he replied with a grin. "Go up the rope using the brake and squat technique. You bend your legs to loosen the brake between your feet then when you straighten pull yourself up the rope a little and then repeat."

"What about getting back down?" Haley asked.

"Just shimmy down," Nathan replied. "And try and do it fast. I don't want to be coming last now."

Lucas had just finished his turn on the rope and was now mesmerized by Brooke's ass as she made her way up the rope. So was every other guy in the gym apart from Whitey. She made it to the top and then began her descent. She got to the bottom and jumped off the rope and Whitey wrote her time down.

"You okay?" Lucas asked as he saw her pull a face.

"I have some chafing," she replied. "Right on my thigh."

"Need any help with it?" Lucas asked as he swallowed hard. Her words had caused his body to react.

"No thanks, I'm good." Brooke told him with a laugh. She had used those words deliberately and she knew they had affected him.

"Okay, Edwards, your turn." Whitey yelled. Jimmy reluctantly went over to the rope as several of the popular crowd sniggered.

"Hey Jimmy, how come you're such a fat ass?" Owen yelled at him.

"Because every time I fuck your girl she gives me a cookie." Jimmy retorted as he glared at Owen.

"Morello, one more outburst like that and you're in detention!" Whitey yelled angrily. "Same for you Edwards!"

Jimmy's anger level rose as he attempted to climb onto the rope. He hated this class. It was just another public humiliation for him. He proved the point to himself when he lost his grip on the rope after getting a quarter of the way up. He fell to the ground and somehow managed to knock Brooke over in the process. She ended up in a heap on the floor behind him and held her ankle in pain. The entire class erupted into laughter at the sight as Lucas went to help Brooke.

"I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public." Jake said to Jimmy, earning more laughter.

"What the hell do you call that?" Whitey asked Jimmy with a frown. Jimmy glared up at him from his spot on the floor. "You're disqualified. Lucas take Brooke to the medic."

"Can you walk?" Lucas asked her as he helped her to her feet. She tried her weight on her foot and yelped in pain. She shook her head as she held onto him. "Want me to carry you?"

"Yeah," she replied. She looked at Jimmy angrily. "If this is serious, I'm suing your fat ass!"

Jimmy got up off the floor and stomped out of the gym as Lucas easily lifted Brooke into his arms. Julian, Jake, Owen, Clay, Chase and Nathan watched with frowns on their faces as Lucas carried her out of the gym.

**~X~**

Lucas headed into the mall to make his way to his new job after Keith had dropped him off. Money was currently tight in their household so Lucas had taken on an extra job to help Karen and Keith out with a little extra money, as well as still helping out at the café and the auto repair shop. He felt a little guilty because they had had to spend so much money on his medical bills since he had gotten sick. So he had decided to do something to help them. He had told Karen and Keith that he had another job so they didn't need to pay him for the work at the café and the repair shop. He had told them to use the money towards the bills. They had been stunned at his actions and told him not to overwork himself as they didn't want him jeopardizing his health.

He had started at Body Central two days ago. He had been job hunting and seen the advert in the window and had jumped at the opportunity. One the pay was good and two it was Brooke's favorite store. When he went in and inquired the manager had given him the job immediately. She had told him that due to a customer survey, the women who shopped there wanted a male assistant to get advice on what the other sex thought of their outfits. They had also put in the suggestions box that eye candy would be a bonus. To the manager, Lucas sorted both problems. Surprisingly, working at the women's fashion store wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. The women openly flirted with him and pranced around as they asked his opinion on their outfit. He never really paid them any attention, just told them what they wanted to hear and they made their purchases and left happy. He hadn't seen anything of Brooke though which was a bit of a disappointment for him. He went into the store and greeted the store manager Ruby with a smile and a polite hello. She smiled and waved as she was busy serving a customer and he headed into the staff area at the back. A few minutes later she came through to the back.

"Hi Luke," she greeted. "The delivery has arrived already, so you can get cracking with that in here. We have an important customer coming today and she'll be using the VIP dressing area. Can you just give it a quick once over for me? It's been a little manic in here today and I haven't had chance."

"Sure I can." Lucas replied.

"You'll probably get overtime today too. Our special customer will be here for a while," Ruby told him. "You don't mind doing overtime do you? We'll pay you at double time."

"I don't mind at all," Lucas told her with a smile. He hoped this customer would be Brooke, but he doubted it after gym class. "What do you want me to do with this dressing area?"

"I've got some money from the petty cash and I want you to go and pick some flowers up from the store across. I already placed the order," Ruby told him. "Then you have to go and collect some handmade chocolates from Cassava's and then come back and make the place look fancy."

"This customer must be really important." Lucas said wide eyed.

"She is," Ruby insisted. "She spends an absolute fortune in here. Don't tell anybody this but we even get her champagne. She's under age. That will need putting in the ice bucket and placing in there too. Plus some glasses. We have the ice already and the champagne is in the fridge."

"Okay. I'll go get the flowers and chocolates," Lucas said as Ruby held out the money. "I'll get receipts too. Do you need a vase?"

"You're not just a pretty face are you?" Ruby asked him. Lucas smiled and blushed. "The florist is putting them in a vase for us and then we return it when the flowers are dead."

"Okay, I won't be long." Lucas told her as he headed off to do his tasks.

**~X~**

Lucas looked around at the VIP dressing area and was proud with what he had done. There was a table in one corner that held the flowers, champagne, glasses and chocolates, as well as some other little tasty looking snacks Ruby had bought. Two black plush chairs and matching footstools were in another corner and the actual dressing area had the drapes sat just perfect.

"Wow you did a good job," Ruby said as she came into the room to check it. "I'll have to get you to do this every time she comes in."

"Is she here a lot?" Lucas asked praying that it was Brooke.

"She comes here several times a week," Ruby said. "And she's the only customer who uses this room."

"I'm glad I got it ready just right," Lucas replied nervously. "Do you want me to go and work on the delivery now?"

"If you would sweetie!" Ruby told him. Lucas quickly left and headed to the store room area. Ruby chuckled at his nerves.

**~X~**

"Lucas," Ruby said as she went into the store room a little while later. He turned round at the sound of her voice. "I've been speaking to our important customer and she would like you to be her personal shopper today."

"Me?" Lucas asked alarmed.

"Yes you," Ruby confirmed. "She's waiting in the dressing area. I told her I'd send you through with some of the new delivery. She's a size two."

"Uh okay," Lucas said surprised. "I'll be there in a minute."

"Ensure you are!" Ruby said before she left him alone.

He quickly went through the clothing he had just hanged and pulled everything out in the size he had been told. When he had eight items he took a deep breath and headed towards the VIP dressing area. He knocked on the door and heard a mumbled response, so he opened the door and went inside. He was happy at who he saw in there.

"Brooke, hi!" he greeted as he went and hung the items up on the fancy rail that they had in there. "I didn't expect to see you out shopping after what happened in gym class."

"Lucas! Since when did you work here?" she asked surprised. "And I am not letting Jimmy Edwards ruin my shopping plans because he can't hold himself up on a rope. I have a foot rest."

"How is your ankle?" he asked as he finished hanging the clothes up.

"Not so bad now," she replied with a laugh. "I was given painkillers and took them both. I was supposed to save one for tomorrow but I feel great at having taken two."

"Are you okay with me being your personal shopper today?" he asked a little awkwardly.

"Yes," she replied with a smile. "I'll know if I'm genuinely looking great because I'll only need to see the reaction in your crotch."

"Why is it lately that every time we're paired up so to speak that you end up ogling my crotch?" Lucas asked with a slight frown.

"Because you're always horny around me," she told him with a smile. "Now can I get some champagne slave boy?"

"Oh I don't know," he replied playfully as he went over to the table to pour her some. "How old are you?"

"Just zip it and give," she replied. He did as he was told and she sipped it gratefully. "Mmm she got the good stuff again."

"Should you be drinking that if you've taken those painkillers?" Lucas asked concerned. "And are you driving?"

"Lucas, I'm Brooke Davis. I can do whatever I want," Brooke told him. "And yes I'm driving. If I get a little buzzed you can drive me home. I'm sure Ruby will pay you extra to look after her number one customer."

"Just take it slow okay?" he told her concerned.

"Lucas just show me the clothes already," Brooke told him. "And stop talking to me like you're my best friend."

Lucas didn't reply and just went over to the rail of clothes. Her last comment had hurt. He thought that they were beginning to get along. He showed her the various things and then told her he would go and get some more items. He left and came back several minutes later with some more.

"Right Lucas!" Brooke said as she finished her second glass of champagne. "It's time for the fashion show."

"Do you want me to wait outside while you change?" he asked.

"No I need you to help fasten me up and stuff," Brooke said with a slight slur and a giggle. The alcohol was obviously reacting with the medication already. "And maybe unfasten. Plus, sore ankle here, you'll need to help me stand and stuff."

Lucas swallowed as he went over to her chair and helped her to her feet. There was a stool in the curtained dressing area and he helped her hobble over to it. She perched on the edge and smiled cheekily at him.

"You'll have to help me with my shoes Luke." she said as she tried not to laugh. He looked down at her footwear and saw she had stupidly high stiletto heels on.

"How the hell can you walk in those with a bad ankle?" he asked baffled. Brooke laughed at his reaction.

"When you're a girl you get used to it," she told him as he knelt before her and eased the shoes from her feet. She decided that she was going to have an awful lot of fun teasing Lucas while she was here. She hadn't really had a chance in gym. "You'll have to help me out of my jeans too."

Lucas's throat dried up at her words. He was also glad that he had remembered his medication otherwise he would be in trouble right now. He couldn't believe the situation that he was currently in. Brooke Davis, the girl of his dreams was telling him to undress her. And he was getting paid for it. He couldn't quite figure out why she wanted him to take her jeans off, because she would have been able to do that herself. He wasn't going to complain though after all he had been fantasizing about stripping her for many years now. And as Ruby kept telling him, the customer is always right.

His hands went to the button on her jeans and he hoped she wouldn't notice the shaking in his hands as he unfastened it. She smirked as she felt the tremor in his hands as he unzipped her jeans. She raised herself up on her arms as he began to tug her jeans downwards. He took extra care to make sure that her underwear didn't come down with them. He knew he'd be pushing his luck if he tried that. When they were off Brooke perched on the stool properly. The alcohol and the affects of the painkillers were making it so that she didn't care about the fact she was sat in front of Lucas in a pair of tiny panties and a camisole top. She just watched him in amusement as he straightened, turned his back to her, folded her jeans and placed them on a table with her shoes.

"I want to try that red dress on first." she slurred.

Lucas frowned as he went and took it off the hanger for her. He wondered if she should be shopping in her current condition. He turned to hand it to her and saw that she was now sat on the stool in just her underwear. He swallowed hard and his smart dress pants were suddenly five times too small in the crotch area. He handed the dress to her and retrieved her camisole from the floor, turned it the right way around and folded it, before putting it with her jeans.

"Aww aren't you all cute and domesticated," she slurred as she struggled to put the dress over her head. "Your momma has got you well trained there Lukey."

"Are you sure you're fit enough to be shopping Brooke?" he asked worried.

"I've shopped when I've been worse Luke," she said as she tried to wriggle into the dress. Lucas wished he didn't notice how sexy she looked when she did that. "Can you help me? I'm stuck."

"Did you unfasten the zipper?" he asked as he moved closer to her to check the side zipper on the dress.

"It has a zipper?" her muffled voice asked. Lucas shook his head at her. She was clearly off her head with the combination of pain meds and alcohol. He unzipped the zipper and it slipped over her easily. "That's better! Zip me back up Luke!"

For the next two hours, Lucas was at Brooke's beck and call. He was also now officially on over time and her 'to buy' rail was moderately full. Lucas was being completely honest at how she looked in her clothes. He helped her into items and helped take them off again. She had now almost finished the bottle of champagne, the chocolates and most of the nibbles. She was also acting like her brain was floating in space.

"Right Lukey boy!" she slurred. "I got clothes, shoes, nightwear and accessories. Now I need underwear. Go and pick me something sexy and classy."

Lucas' heart almost stopped beating at her words. He wondered if she wanted him to help her with that too. He swallowed hard and sat her back in the armchair before heading off to find Ruby to get her to help him choose underwear for Brooke. He returned twenty minutes later, with a selection of seductive yet sophisticated items. He showed Brooke and saw her face light up.

"Great job Luke! Help me to the stool." she said as she tried to stand. She wobbled so he went to her side to support her. Lucas obeyed and then hung the underwear on the browsing rail.

"Let's try the hot pink first." she told him.

"You want me to stay while you're trying underwear on?" he asked in a strained voice as his eyes went wide.

"Well duh!" Brooke replied and rolled her eyes. "Who else is gonna unfasten my bra? I'm _far_ too wasted to do it."

Taking a deep breath, Lucas moved behind Brooke. His hands went to the fastening of her bra and he struggled with the hook and eye clasp. This was the first time he had ever unfastened a bra; on a girl anyway. He had done it for displays and re-hanging them, but that was it. He then hurried over to put it with her clothes, all the while keeping his back to her.

"Are you embarrassed Luke?" Brooke asked amused. She giggled when she got no response. "Luke its only skin. Don't be so shy!"

"Which one did you want to try again?" he asked trying to remain professional. Brooke was having so much fun at his apparent awkwardness.

"The _hot_ pink one," she replied. Lucas went over and took it off the rail and then the hanger. He unfastened the back and then held it out to her. "No Lucas! You have to put it on for me."

Lucas took a deep breath and moved so he was behind her. As much as he was tempted to, he knew that if he looked at her chest he would explode in his pants. He didn't want to humiliate himself like that in front of her. He helped her put the bra on and then he shakily fastened it for her.

"So what so you think?" she asked giddily. "What's the score on the Lucas erection scale?"

"Brooke!" Lucas said as he moved to the front of her. It was relatively safe for him to look now that she was covered in some way. He swallowed hard as he said. "It looks good on you."

"I didn't ask _that_!" she slurred. She seemed to be getting worse. To get her own answer, she reached out and cupped her hand over the completely obvious bulge in his pants. She squeezed and Lucas made a shocked noise.

"Brooke! Don't do that!" he said in a panicked voice. She giggled and took her hand away.

"I'd say that had a _very_ good impression," she replied. "Okay I'm just gonna get all that underwear because I really have to get home now. I feel slightly sleepy."

After he had redressed Brooke, he left her in the armchair while he took her purchases to the cashier desk. Ruby put them through the till as Lucas folded and placed them in boxes and bags.

"You did a great job today Luke," Ruby told him as he finished on the last item. "She doesn't usually spend that much!"

"She was a little out of it," he told her. "She hurt her ankle at school and took more pain medication than she should have. Then finished the champagne off to herself."

"You and Brooke go to the same school?" Ruby asked surprised. Lucas nodded. "Was it awkward for you today helping her out?"

"A Little," he admitted. "But I coped."

"How is she getting home?" Ruby asked, feeling a little guilty at getting stronger champagne for Brooke to drink.

"She told me I was driving her home," Lucas replied. "I have a feeling I'm gonna have to carry her to her car. And I don't even know where she parked."

"Go and ask her," Ruby told him. "Lucas you'll get paid extra for this okay? Just don't tell anyone else otherwise they'll all want the same treatment."

**~X~**

Lucas pulled up into the driveway of Brooke's house a little under an hour later. He had gone to ask Brooke where she had parked but had found her fast asleep. That's what Ruby had called it, Lucas thought it resembled being comatose. He had then got her car keys from her purse and discovered her bra was in there, which had made his cheeks flush. He took her bags first as he hunted for her car. He started at ground level and worked his way up. Unfortunately for him, Brooke had parked on level five, so it had taken a while. He dumped her bags in the trunk and then headed back to go and get her. She was still out of it so he had had to carry her through the still busy shopping mall. He had received some odd looks as he had. Now he was glad that she was at her house and once he had helped her inside he could go home and relieve the pressure in his groin.

As usual, there was nobody home at Brooke's house. He went in and carried her up to her bedroom, which was a lot easier to find than her car. He was worried about leaving her by herself while she was in this state. He was debating whether or not to just take her to his house when she began to come round.

"Lucas, what are you doing in my bedroom?" she asked him groggily.

"You don't remember?" he asked her softly.

"No," she replied as she rubbed her head. "I was at the store."

"You overdosed yourself with pain medication and then drank a full bottle of strong champagne to yourself," he explained. "Then you pranced around in front of me half naked and grabbed my crotch to see what the score was."

"Whatever!" she replied grumpily. Her head felt extremely strange. "Just get the hell out of my room. And don't tell that to any of your loser friends."

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked her concerned. She heard it in his voice and felt bad for what she had just said.

"I'll be fine," she told him. "Just go home Lucas."

**~X~**

"You're late," Karen said as Lucas walked into the kitchen via the backdoor of his house. "Why are you late?"

"Ruby gave me overtime to help an important customer," Lucas said. "Who just so happened to be Brooke Davis. I had to take her home because she took one too many strong painkillers and they sent her a little loopy, then a little sleepy."

"Well Jimmy, Skills and Mouth are waiting for you in your room," Keith told him. "They've been here about a half hour. They said something about a history project."

"I forgot all about that," Lucas said as he hurried through the kitchen. "Better get working. It's due in two days."

"You better." Karen called after him as he went into his room.

"Hey guys," he greeted as he went in and closed the door behind him. He loosened his tie as he said. "Sorry I'm late. I got overtime."

"Where the hell have you been working dressed like that?" Skills asked him as he eyed his smart outfit.

"A store in the mall." Lucas replied.

"What kind of store?" Mouth asked looking up from his history book. Lucas looked uncomfortable as he replied.

"A women's clothing store." Lucas mumbled. Jimmy, Mouth and Skills looked at him in a mixture of shock, amusement and awe.

"So you get to help girls with their clothes?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah." Lucas told him.

"Do they have a lingerie section?" Skills asked him curious.

"Yeah they do." Lucas replied with a laugh. His three friends got a jealous look on their faces at that revelation.

"And you get paid for that?" Mouth asked in an incredulous tone.

"I sure do Mouth," Lucas said with a grin. "I just got three hours overtime today too at double time. I had to help a very important customer."

"So what store is this?" Skills asked curious. "And do you get to see them naked?"

"Body Central," Lucas replied. "There was some nudity today too."

"Damn I wish I was you!" Skills replied in an envious tone.

"Wait isn't that where Brooke and her clones go?" Jimmy asked him.

"I don't know about Brooke's clones but I know Brooke goes there," Lucas replied. "She was the important customer."

"That's like your dream job Luke," Mouth told him. "You get to watch the girl you're totally obsessed with change and you get paid for it."

"You are one lucky dude!" Skills said in awe. Lucas smiled and couldn't help saying.

"I got to see Brooke in just her panties today." technically it wasn't a lie. He just hadn't seen her from the front.

"That just proves my point." Mouth said.

"Wait a sec," Jimmy said as he frowned deeply. "She _actually _let you see her like that?"

"She had the VIP dressing area and I had to stay in the room with her to help her change," Lucas explained. "I was totally professional at all times."

"Yeah sure you were." Jimmy replied in a doubtful tone.

"Look are you guys okay for a little longer?" Lucas asked. "I just really need to take a shower."

"Three guesses what you're gonna be doing in there." Skills said as he shook his head.

"Just hurry up Luke," Jimmy said annoyed. "I wanna get this assignment done!"

**~X~**

"What are you doing?" Jake asked as he went into his bedroom after seeing to Jenny. Peyton looked up from the photo album she was looking through.

"Why are there so many pictures of you, Jenny and Brooke together?" she asked quietly.

"You know why Peyton," he replied softly. Peyton looked at him like she was expecting an explanation. "She helped me with Jenny while you were in rehab."

"Are you sure that's all that it was?" Peyton asked sounding jealous. "I mean you look so much like a family it's unbelievable. And what's with this picture huh?"

"What picture?" Jake asked.

Peyton flicked to a page and passed him the album. She pointed to the picture she meant. It showed Jake, Jenny and Brooke when Jenny was only twelve days old. Brooke had hold of her and Jake had his arm around Brooke's shoulders. He held an award that had Brooke's name on it, along with the title 'Mom of the Week'.

"Ah that picture," Jake said quietly. "Brooke _was_ practically her mom then Peyton and you know it! That was my way of saying thank you to her. If it hadn't been for Brooke, I would have missed so much practice and catch up classes."

"It should have been _me_ doing that though Jake," Peyton told him annoyed. "Not _her_!"

"Whose fault was it that you weren't huh?" Jake asked her annoyed. He was getting sick of her bringing up the past when it was all her own fault. "You didn't listen to me at all. You just went and did what you felt like."

"God I made a mistake okay Jake?" Peyton said as she began to get upset. "Why do you have to keep reminding me of it?"

"You're the one who brought it up Peyton," Jake said angrily. "_Don't_ put this on me okay."

"Whatever!" Peyton snapped icily. Jake was unable to keep his cool any longer.

"I can't do this anymore," Jake said as he headed back to the door. "I'm taking Jenny out for a while. When I get back I'd prefer you not to be here."

"Don't tell me you're gonna take her to be with her _mom_!" Peyton snapped. "And by that I mean _Brooke_."

"Peyton, just get over yourself will you?" Jake said as he shook his head. "You're acting like you were when you were on drugs. Are you sure you're still clean?"

"How _dare_ you!" Peyton said outraged. "I'm clean I swear."

"Yeah I've heard that before too!" Jake said as he left the room and slammed the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**xXalienatedXx - That will definitely be happening I assure you.**

**Diane Hermans - There will be more Brucas in future chapters I promise.**

**XHush-HushX - Glad you liked it. Sorry to have kept you waiting for this update.**

**Fireangel08 - There will be more character backgrounds revealed as the story progresses.**

**Its-OK-to-love - There will be all those combinations in this and maybe more, before the real pairings are revealed.**

**KayyyReneee - Hmm I'm not really sure where I got that idea from! Ha-ha!**

**Craxygirl54 - Yes it was definitely like that. Maybe he could class it as his dream job? Yes there are other reasons that the other guys like Brooke and I am going to explain them all as the story progresses.**

**xXLil'BitofEveryThangXx - Yes I'm on the Brucas bandwagon! Ha-ha! However, this chapter may not seem like it.**

**Paigematthewsfan21 - I couldn't resist sticking the scene in where Lucas is running around after Brooke.**

**Tanya2byour21 - I assure you Luke won't get into trouble. His boss only told him not to tell anyone about her drinking champagne in the store.**

**The-Ryanator - Thank you so much. It was definitely different writing that Jeyton scene.**

**Jessica James 23, Holly-Roberts, MollyCW23, James McLean, Beth-J-Matthews, JackSawyer99, Raven-Rachel23, Cheery Rose 23, Ashley J Scott, Jen loves Nathan, Eve G, Alyssia-Owens, Nicole_2223, Jason-Carlton, The-Tommynator, Riley Barnes, Danny-Walker, The-Tim22, Lee Martin, John Tate - Thank you for all of your reviews!**

**So here's the next update of this. The response to this story has been great so far so thank you all again. Thanks to those who add to favorites and alerts too! Now just quick note about the couples in this story. Right now, they're just having fun. There may be changes of couples and they may be different when the story comes to an end. Hope you all enjoy this.**

* * *

><p>Brooke hurried down the staircase of her house as fast as she could. Her ankle was still tender so it wasn't an easy task. She just hoped that whoever was at the door wouldn't leave before she got there. She finally arrived and pulled it open.<p>

"Hey Jake," she greeted as she saw him stood there, holding a crying Jenny in her car seat, his book bag and a diaper bag. "Hey Jenny! What are you crying for?"

"Hey Brooke," Jake greeted in response. "She won't stop crying. I didn't know where else to come."

"Come on in Jagielski," she said as she moved so he could come in. "No Peyton with you?"

"We had a fight," Jake told her with a sigh. "Then I asked her to leave and she did. That was five hours ago. And I can't find her anywhere. I just hope she's not hanging out with those dead heads that she used to hang with."

"I'm sure that she's just in her room listening to her depressing music so loud that she can't hear anyone at the door," Brooke said as she hobbled after Jake as he headed to the sitting room. "Jenny really doesn't sound happy."

"She's not," Jake said with a sigh. "I think she's teething and I still have my homework to get done."

"Well give her here and I'll try and settle her while you study," she said as she perched on a sofa. Jake smiled gratefully as he carefully handed Jenny to her. Brooke began to rock her in her arms as Jake gave her the teething ring and then picked his book bag up. "You might be better off doing that in the kitchen."

"Thanks Brooke," Jake told her gratefully. "If you need me just yell okay?"

"Sure I will," she replied as Jenny bit the teething ring with all her might. "But I think we'll be fine. Won't be Jenny?"

**~X~**

The figure crept along the dark, quiet hallways of Tree Hill High towards its target. They knew that they had to get what they wanted to do fast, before they were discovered. The figure smiled as they reached the target. They made quick work of getting what they required before heading to carry out stage two. The figure made sure to cover their tracks as they did. After about ten minutes of initiating the second stage, the figure crept back down the hallway and left the school grounds.

**~X~**

"Hey Nate," Jake greeted as he answered Brooke's door. "Come on in."

"Jake, this is a surprise," Nathan said as he stepped into the house. His brow then creased with a worried frown. "Where's Brooke? Is she okay? Did anything happen to her? Why didn't anybody call me?"

"Relax Nate, she's fine. She's in the lounge watching Jenny for me while I study in the kitchen," Jake told him. "Jenny's teething and I couldn't concentrate. My parents are out and Peyton picked a fight and is now AWOL."

"She is?" Nathan asked in a relieved tone. He then took his letterman jacket off. "And that sucks that Peyton is being, well Peyton again."

"Tell me about it," Jake said with a sigh. "I don't know what her problem is. She's acting like she did before rehab, but she swears that she's still clean."

"Maybe she's having withdrawal symptoms?" Nathan suggested.

"Maybe," Jake agreed. "She just doesn't tell me anything anymore."

"Well if she needs another intervention, we'll all get together again okay?" Nathan told him.

"Thanks man." Jake told him gratefully.

"No problem buddy," Nathan replied with a grin. "Now I'm going to go and hang out with her hotness in the lounge so you can study in piece."

"Fine by me." Jake told him as he headed back to the kitchen. Nathan headed into the lounge.

"Hey-" he began but Brooke cut him off.

"Sssh!" she whispered. "I just got her to sleep. It's great what that teething gel can do."

"You're great with her you know that?" Nathan asked as he carefully lifted Brooke's injured foot up, sat on the sofa and placed it in his lap.

"Thanks," Brooke replied as they both looked at the sleeping six month old. "I guess its good practice for the future right?"

"You plan on having kids?" he asked her.

"Maybe one day," she told him with a soft laugh. "When I'm done partying."

"We need to have a party," Nathan said with a sigh. "There's not been one for ages."

"No there hasn't has there," Brooke said quietly. "We'll have to throw one. There hasn't been a Davis-Scott party for a while."

"It has to be huge," Nathan said as Jake came into the lounge. "Hey Jake."

"Wow you got her to sleep," he said as he saw Jenny. "I owe you big time Brooke."

"No you don't," Brooke assured him as he carefully took Jenny from her arms and placed her into her car seat. "Did you get your homework done?"

"I sure did," he replied. "Now I'm gonna head home and get something to eat and pray Jenny sleeps through the night."

"You need a hand to your car?" Nathan asked him.

"I'll be fine Nate," Jake assured him as he gathered his things. "Although I'd appreciate help with the front door. See at school tomorrow Brooke?"

"You sure will," Brooke replied. "Even if I'm barely capable of walking."

"You won't have to worry about that," Nathan told her. "I'll carry you if I need to."

"My hero!" Brooke said as he followed Jake out of the room. He returned a few moments later and they heard Jake's car pull out of the driveway. "So what do I owe this visit to Nathan Scott?"

"I just stopped by to see how you were doing," Nathan told her as he grinned at her. "I thought you might want a foot massage Nathan style."

"And what's so different about a foot massage Nathan style?" she asked as she kinked her eyebrow at him.

"I can't tell you, I can only show you. And you have to be led on your bed for it to have maximum effect." Nathan told her. He didn't give her a chance to reply; instead, he scooped her into his arms and carried her up the stairs and to her bedroom. He went into her room and put her down on her bed carefully.

"Why can you not be yourself around everyone else?" Brooke asked him as he moved to where her feet rested.

"You know why Brooke," he told her as they shared a look. "I know I can really be myself around you and that you're not gonna tell everyone that I'm not how I pretend to act at school and games."

"One day you will be able to do that and not have to worry about what everyone thinks," Brooke told him. "But until then, I think I can handle our little secret. I'm good at keeping secrets."

"I know you are," Nathan replied as he began to expertly massage her sore ankle. Brooke purred in appreciation. His touch was actually making the pain disappear. "Is that okay?"

"It's perfect," she told him. He continued to work his magic on her foot and ankle. "Mmm you're really good with those hands Nathan Scott."

"I'm really good with more than my hands," Nathan told her with a chuckle. "And you _definitely_ know that Brooke."

"Oh I know why you came round now," she told him as his hands left her ankle and stroked up her leg. "Someone is a little horny huh?"

"Brooke there's nothing little about it and you know it," he said as he crawled up the bed until his face hovered over hers. "I'm glad we decided to be friends with benefits."

"I know you are," Brooke replied before their lips met in a passionate kiss. Nathan settled his weight carefully over her as their lips parted. "Did you lock the front door after Jake left?"

"I certainly did." Nathan replied.

"That's good," Brooke told him. "You want to stay the night and have a lot of benefits?"

"I won't say no to that. Because that's what I actually came round here for." Nathan said before they kissed once more.

**~X~**

Lucas and Haley walked into school the next morning and were surprised to find the students already there standing still looking up at the television system the school had. They were even more baffled when they saw Peyton come on the screen. They looked at each other and frowned in concern as they realized that it was the time capsule video they had made. They looked back at the screen as Peyton began to talk.

"Okay, first off, I want to say happy sixty-seventh birthday to Peyton Sawyer. You were pretty cool back in the day. Um and to Jenny Jagielski, who is wow, um, like fifty now. Uh your dad sure loves you. Plus, he's a total fox. Fifty years? Okay. Well, if you're young and you're watching this, uh, you guys know what you're up against. Especially if you're a girl. Its sex, right, and even fifty years from now, I'm guessing it's still a really big deal. You know, it's awkward and threatening. And thrilling. But, in a way, it's like sex is the easy part. You know, it's giving your heart to somebody that's the scary part," she paused from her rambling as she thought for a moment. "I lost my way, a little bit, this past year. But lately it's been better. Thanks to Jake and little baby Jenny. You know, um, it's pretty amazing how temptation can be silenced by a ray of hope. But when the face to that hope is a boy's face, I guess, for me, hope comes with trust issues too. Jake Jagielski has helped me get my life back on track and now we're taking that next step and we're putting romance into the equation. I just hope that things turn out good and that Brooke doesn't take my man away from me."

There were several murmurs and sniggers from the ever increasing crowd of students as the screen went black for a moment. Then Millie was shown on screen.

"Let's see. In ten years from now, I'll probably be married to Marvin McFadden. Of course, you all probably call him Senator McFadden or something but we just call him Mouth. We'll have three kids and the typical house with a white picket fence. And we'll be perfectly happy because all the high school drama, rivalry, and just plain old petty behavior will be gone. Hopefully in 2054, you won't have that in schools and everybody will be equal. At the end of the day we're all just the same, it's just people who think that they're better than other's that cause the problems."

"I like Millie's speech," Haley said to Lucas as Skills came up to them. "I hope that that happens one day too."

"What the hell is going on man?" Skills asked as they saw Nathan come on the screen.

"Looks like someone busted the time capsule video out." Lucas replied. He hoped that his had been on already. Next they saw Nathan come on the screen.

"People think that if you love somebody hard enough then everything is just going to work out. Well people are wrong. Fifty years from now, I hope I had the guts to go after what I wanted instead of being too scared of the fallout. I think I've wrecked my chances at being with the girl I want more than anything because I'm an ass to my brother and Haley and that was the worst mistake of my life," Nathan began with a frown. His words shocked Lucas, Haley and Skills to the core. Lucas especially. It was the first time he had heard Nathan call him his brother. "So you want me to tell you something about myself? I don't have anything to say really. Except that I'm living a total lie and I'm the biggest hypocrite in the world. And if I were you, I wouldn't trust anyone. Trust is a lie. Nobody ever knows anyone. They pretend they do but all it is, is an act; a mask you wear, a performance to perfect. The only other person who knows exactly what I mean is Brooke. She makes out that nothing fazes her or gets her down, but I can see that there are things that do. I know that things have. And I'm one of those reasons because of how I treat my brother. I can see the disapproval in her eyes; she has such incredibly expressive eyes. She also has an incredibly good heart. I just hope none of this crap between me and Lucas that I caused affects her. I love her too much for that to happen."

Lucas was agape at the screen as it went black. He didn't know what was more shocking. The fact Nathan had called him his brother twice, or the fact he said he loved Brooke. Lucas hoped that he meant he loved her in a platonic or sisterly way. He managed to shut his mouth as Rachel appeared on screen.

"So if you're watching in 2054, I mean there's probably gonna be some great advances in plastic surgery but there really needs to be some sort of record of my body at its peak. I dared my friend Brooke to do this but I bet she chickens out," Rachel giggled. She looked drunk and neither Lucas nor Haley would put it past her to actually be drunk. Their eyes went wide as Rachel slipped her shirt off. She was met by a round of whistles and catcalls. "Now if you guys are space aliens, you probably have three of these. However, I don't have any complaints so far, especially not from Owen. Actually if you're aliens, you probably have eight sets of eyes, which would mean I'd have sixteen boobs, which would mean my lingerie bill would go through the roof. So futuristic kids, I hope you enjoyed your retro boobs."

"That's my girl!" Owen was heard saying. It was followed by another round of cheers and whistles.

"She's such a slut!" Haley said to Lucas as she frowned in Owen's direction. Lucas and Skills chuckled to themselves. She then groaned as she saw herself on screen.

"Somebody tell me that you've got love figured out in 2054. Because I got news for you, it's pretty darn messy right now. But I guess it's always been that way. Wanting to be loved, to find somebody that makes your heart ache in a good way. To feel understood. So if you're robots, or aliens, or something and you're watching this right now and that feeling no longer exists; well you missed it and I feel sorry for you. Because as far as I can tell, that's what it's all about. And that's what it always should be about," Haley said. She cringed inwardly as she watched herself on the screen. "I'm pretty much messed up when it comes to love. I've fallen for the completely wrong person and I know he is never going to think of me in the same way. When I'm with him, I feel so happy and alive that I never want our time together to end. But he doesn't see me. To him I'm nothing. He is too besotted by Brooke Davis to even notice me. But I'm not going to change myself for him. I'll just have to love him from a distance."

The screen went black and Haley wished the ground would open up and swallow her as she closed her eyes. She could feel Lucas's eyes on her. He quickly moved them to the screen as he heard himself begin to talk. Haley opened her eyes and looked.

"I've been getting a lot of grief from a certain person and his group of followers and their girlfriends! It's classed as bullying and it's turning into hazing. And it's because we share the same ass of a father. I know I got the better end of the deal with having that waste of space out of my life though. I just wish I could make things easier for my mom. I mean, even though it's been tough for us, I want her to be happy more than anything. Although I think she will. I have the greatest Uncle in the whole world. It's hard to believe that he's from the same family as the ass that fathered me. I just hope that we can all be free of him one day," Lucas said. He really hoped Nathan wasn't in the school yet. "If I didn't have my friends, I don't think I could have got through it. Haley, Mouth, Millie, Skills and Jimmy will never know how much they have helped me. Someone else who has made school bearable is Brooke. Her flirting makes the day just that little better. Brooke Davis is going to change the world someday and she doesn't even know it."

He heard a few sniggers and cringed. He couldn't believe how he had sounded saying that. It had sounded good in his head at the time, now it just sounded lame. Next on screen was Jake.

"Okay, so I'm a single father sort of. I'm seeing this girl and I think our experience levels are a little different, you know. But even so, I'm doing something with her that I've never done before; I think I'm falling in love. I helped her through a rough time over this past year. She kinda had some problems with some stuff. But so did I," Jake said. He paused for a few moments before he continued. "I got a girl pregnant who kept the baby because she wanted it and then changed her mind and dumped her when she was born. At first, I didn't know what I was going to do when Peyton got taken into rehab, but I got help from Brooke. She was an angel and she showed me how to care for my little girl and everything. When I first saw my daughter, it was the most amazing thing. I owe Brooke so much and have no idea how I'm ever gonna repay her. She's such an amazing person and nobody even realizes it. They just take her for granted."

"Damn what is it with the Brooke Davis fan club?" Skills asked. "They seem to be out in force on this damn tape."

"I think we're about to find out." Haley said as Brooke appeared on the screen. Lucas immediately moved his eyes back to the screen.

"Here's all you really need to know about today; if you're fat, dumb, sexual and a _guy_, you're okay. If you're a girl, not so much. Please tell me that's changed in the future. Tell me the different cliques are gone and you don't have to keep an act up all the time just so you're not the one on the receiving end of insults and humiliating pranks. I honestly don't know how Lucas can cope with all the crap that he has to. I hate the way he gets taunted and harassed. But I'm too chicken to do anything about it. And to make it so I don't have to join in, I came up with the lame excuse of him doing my calculus homework that I flirt with him for when I don't even need him to do it. I guess that makes me shallow huh? I guess you're right. I hope one day I can get some of the strength that Lucas has to stand up to them all and just tell them to stop the pettiness. It'll probably never happen," Brooke said. There was silence in the hallway as she spoke. She too paused as if she was thinking. "My friend Rachel dared me to do something on here that I wasn't sure about it, but right now I'm thinking that it's not gonna be seen for fifty years so what the hell."

They all watched as Brooke lowered the neckline of her shirt and exposed her chest. There was another round of cheers and whistles as she did. Lucas swallowed hard and felt his jeans decrease in size in the crotch.

"Hope you enjoyed that!" Brooke finished as she pulled her shirt back up and the screen went black.

"Damn can I join the Brooke Davis fan club?" Skills asked. "That is a fine pair of boobies she has right there. Damn you've even seen them in the flesh man! How are you feeling Lucas?"

"Great," Lucas replied in a husky voice. He coughed to clear it and Haley rolled her eyes. "Just great."

**~X~**

"You know it's your fault we're running late this morning." Brooke told Nathan as they walked towards the school from the parking lot arm in arm.

"Well what can I say? You were just too irresistible Brooke. I mean come on you were all wet and naked. I _know_ you love it when I'm all wet and naked! I've seen you drooling over me," he told her with a laugh. "Seriously though how is your ankle today?"

"It actually feels really good," Brooke said. She had been pleasantly surprised to find that she could indeed walk normally with only a small amount of pain. "Maybe all those orgasms you gave me last night worked. I know it wasn't the tablets I got. They just sent me loopy and made me buy loads of unnecessary things at the mall."

"That sounds normal for you," Nathan teased as they reached the school doorway and walked through it. They were still arm in arm. Brooke hit him playfully for his comment. They then noticed everyone watching the screens as they arrived next to Owen and Rachel. "What the hell is going on?"

"Brooke you just missed your video," Rachel said. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Wait what?" Brooke asked worried.

"This is the time capsule video," Owen told her. Brooke's eyes widened. "You and Rachel made it x-rated!"

"Why what did they do?" Nathan asked, wanting to know.

"They showed their boobies!" Owen replied. "It's a shame you missed it."

"I prefer looking at Brooke's chest when it's in front of me so I can touch it." Nathan replied with a cheeky grin. He got another playful hit from Brooke and a glare from Lucas who had heard his comment.

"Oh my God the whole school saw my breasts!" Brooke said mortified. "Who the hell put the damn thing on the TV system?"

"Haven't a clue," Rachel replied. "It was on when we arrived and seems to have been on for a while."

They four of them joined in watching the video. Nathan now had his arm around Brooke's waist and she leaned against his side. The person that was now on the screen was Jimmy Edwards.

"So, you wanna know what things were like fifty years ago. Well, the truth is, there's not a single person in this place worth remembering in fifty years. So, don't believe any of the other crap you're hearing. Everyone at Tree Hill High is a liar. Like I'm sure Nathan Scott, you know, our perfect basketball captain who everybody thinks is this guy to be adored forgot to mention the fact that he's the king of slipping girls the date rape drug, just like his father. He should just ask Brooke Davis to open her legs for him, I mean it's not like she hasn't done it for every other guy in Tree Hill. Brooke Davis thinks she's it! She thinks every guy should worship her and do everything she says because she's supposedly beautiful! I think she's the ugliest thing ever! As for my friend Lucas that guy is so whipped by that slut Davis he can't think straight. He's obsessed with the whore! It's humiliating. She's using him and he's too fucked up in the head to realize it! And Miss Perfect 4.0 Haley James? Yeah, three words; gang, bang, abortion!" Jimmy ranted. The hatred and anger were clear to hear in his voice. It shocked everyone, more so Lucas and Haley. "See, people here are fake so, they stick to their cliques, to hide it. I mean, the stoners are medicated, the honor students are afraid, and the jocks well they're jocks, man. They'll peak at seventeen, and their cheerleader girlfriends will be fat and lonely by twenty one. Losers! Everyone here is a loser! And the truth is every day I have to come to this school, is one less day I have to come back."

Jimmy was obviously the last one on the tape as the screen stayed black. The hallway was in silence after his outburst. Nathan looked over at Lucas and their eyes met. Nathan smiled slightly before looking away. Lucas wondered if the day could get any weirder, just as the sound of a door closing broke the silence. Almost in unison, the students gathered in the hallway turned to look at what had caused the noise. Jimmy was stood there looking puzzled. He wondered why his entire year was glaring at him the way they were. Nathan pulled away from Brooke and walked over to Jimmy. Lucas was almost instantly behind him.

"So I slip girls the date rape drug huh?" Nathan asked him a low pissed off tone. "You are gonna regret saying what you did in that time capsule video Jimmy. _Especially_ what you said about Brooke. Say whatever the hell you like about me, but leave her alone!"

"Hit a nerve did I?" Jimmy asked with a smirk. Inside he was freaking out.

"Just shut your fat face Edwards!" Nathan said in a dangerous tone. "Stay the hell away from me or I'll smash your face in. Go and eat some Twinkies or something."

"Luke come on man," Jimmy said as he looked at Lucas for help. "Help me out here."

"You know for once I actually agree with Nathan," Lucas said in a similar tone to Nathan surprising both Jimmy and Nathan. And probably everyone else who was listening intently. "Stay away from me Jimmy. We're _not_ friends right now!"

"Haley!" Jimmy pleaded as he looked at her.

"Save it Jimmy," she told him. "I don't have time to stand around chatting. I have to go and have an abortion after my latest gangbang!"

Jimmy was about to reply as the tape started running again. It was obviously on a timed loop. Suddenly, Principal Turner's voice came over the announcement system, announcing that classes were cancelled for the day.

"Come on Lucas, let's get out of here," Haley said in an angry and hurt voice. "If I stay here any longer I don't know what I would do."

"I'm right behind you." Lucas said as he and Nathan shared another look. They nodded at each other before Lucas followed Haley. Nathan then went back over to Brooke.

"You mind if I hang out with you today?" he asked her. She shook her head. "Come on let's head back to yours."

He wrapped his arm around her waist and they headed back the way they had just walked. Rachel and Owen watched them.

"They're _so_ having sex," she told him as he pulled her against him. "Speaking of sex, how about you spend the day in bed doing that with me?"

"I'd say hell yeah!" Owen said before he kissed her deeply. "You know when they find out who put that on the system in here I'm gonna thank them for making it so I get to skip school and have sex all day long with my girl."

Rachel laughed at his reply. The person who had released the tape smiled as the students walked out of the school to head home. They hoped that the plan had worked.


	4. Chapter 4

**XHush-HushX - Aww thanks! Glad you like it. Sorry it took so long to update!**

**Paigematthewsfan21 - That will be revealed in a few chapters time.**

**Fireangel08 - Thank you so much! I love reading reviews like that! As for the person who released the video and their reason why, it shall be revealed in a few chapters time. And yes, Brathan are friends with benefits.**

**CaseyJr - You will see a different side to all the characters as the chapters go on. And there will be plenty more drama yet.**

**KayyyReneee - Who Haley was on about in the time capsule video, will be revealed in part two of this chapter. Yes its multi parts. There is just too much to cram into one single chapter. I'm aiming to have a chapter for each of the guys.**

**Diane Hermans - I think there's a bit of everyone in this chapter. However, there is definitely Brucas for you.**

**xXalienatedXx - That shall be revealed in a few chapters time. Thank you so much, glad you think so.**

**Craxygirl54 - That will be revealed soon. This chapter has bits and bats of everyone. And yes, Jimmy is a dumbass for saying that. I'm aiming to have him explain his reasons at some point in the story.**

**JustLikeBrookeDavis - Thanks, glad you liked it.**

**xXLil'BitofEveryThangXx - There is Brucas in this chapter! Hope you enjoy it. Yes there were a lot of things revealed on that tape. There will be a lot of drama after what was revealed in the videos and I'm aiming to show everyone's viewpoint.**

**Holly-Roberts - I assure you that is being revealed in a few chapters time. Yes everyone does seem to love Brooke and how they love her and their reasons for doing so are going to be revealed I promise!**

**The-Ryanator - Glad I'm keeping you on your toes with this story. All I can say for now is all your questions are going to be answered as the story unfolds.**

**Cheery Rose 23 - Yes there will be a detailed scene of that nature between Brathan.**

**Alyssia-Owens, Eve G, Raven-Rachel23, MollyCW23, Jen loves Nathan, Jessica James 23, Ashley J Scott, James McLean, Beth-J-Matthews, JackSawyer99, courtneyk93, mari, Nicole_2223, Jason-Carlton, The-Tommynator, Riley Barnes, Danny-Walker, The-Tim22, Lee Martin, John Tate - Thank you all for your reviews! I love reading them all.**

**Wow, I can't believe the response the last chapter got. I'm so glad you all enjoyed it. I assure you all that the questions that were raised in the previous chapter are going to be answered, some sooner than others. Sorry it has taken me so long to update but I have a torn tendon in my hand and typing kind of aggravates it. Plus there was so much to put in this chapter. Hope you enjoy the extra long update!**

* * *

><p>"I'm liking today's schedule," Jake said to Peyton, as she lay snuggled up against him in bed. "This sure beats history."<p>

"It does," Peyton agreed with a smile. "I'm sorry I freaked out at you last night. I was having a tough day."

"It's okay," Jake told her as he kissed her forehead. "I should know by now that when you get like that it means you need me to help you and not bitch at you."

"You just spent all morning helping me," she told him as she stroked her hand over his naked chest. "I know I shouldn't be jealous about Brooke but I just can't help it. She was there for the first five months of Jenny's life, when I should have been there and my brain goes into overdrive. She helped you when I was too messed up to do anything. And I know it was my own fault and it kills me that I can't get that back."

"I know, I know," Jake said softly as he stroked her back soothingly. "And I can assure you that all Brooke did was help with Jenny. You don't need to worry about me and Brooke because there was no me and Brooke."

"I'm sorry Jake. My mind just goes crazy sometimes and I can't help but picture you and Brooke making more Jenny's," Peyton told him as she kissed his chest. "I trust you completely; it's just that where guys are concerned, Brooke doesn't really care if they're taken. Trust me, I've seen it with my own eyes."

Jake was grateful that she wasn't looking at his face when he had said what he had; otherwise she would have known that he had lied.

**~X~**

"So you do remember that you need to breathe then?" Brooke asked Nathan as she smiled seductively down at him. He smirked back at her as he raised his head up from between her thighs. "Even though you denied me my orgasm yet _again_!"

"That's because I love hearing you beg for me to make you cum," he told her as he kissed his way up her body. "In fact I think you were begging for more only a few moments ago."

"You're mean to make me beg," she told him as he lavished kisses all over her chest. Her fingers sank into his dark hair as he did. "But I guess we can't have you suffocating down there. Even if you are an expert with that mouth."

"Well it would be a great way to die," he said with a chuckle as he kissed his way up her neck, over her jaw line and finally took her lips in a passionate kiss. Their lips parted and Nathan said. "I mean I would have gone doing one of the things I loved!"

"I think it's about time you did something else that you loved," Brooke said as Nathan stroked his hand over her thigh and moved it up towards her folds and began to tease her. She gasped with pleasure as he found every spot that he knew would make her feel good. "I didn't mean that!"

"Did you mean this?" he asked as he took hold of her right hand and placed it on his hard shaft. She smiled as he guided her hand up and down his length.

"Well it involves what's in my hand right now." she said as she guided his length to where she wanted it. She lined him up and he thrust forward, filling her instantly. As he stopped moving, Nathan's cell phone rang and he groaned in disappointment. The ring tone signaled it was Dan Scott calling him.

"Brooke I better get this," he told her as he picked the phone up and sat up, withdrawing from her body as he did. He looked at Brooke questioningly as she grasped his still hard length in her hand. He grinned and shook his head as he answered the call in a grumpy tone. "What?"

"_That's a nice way to greet your father_," Dan chuckled into the phone at the other end. Nathan felt his concentration disappearing as Brooke knelt before him and replaced her hand with her mouth. "_Principal Turner tells me that you have the day off school._"

"Yeah," Nathan said sounding a little breathless. The sight of Brooke's head in his crotch was distracting him. "What do you want?"

"_I need you to help me at the dealership. I have a lot of paperwork that needs filing and my assistant is off sick_." Dan told him.

"I'm kinda busy." Nathan managed as his free hand tangled in Brooke's hair and encouraged her actions. He was beginning to breathe heavier and he was certain that Dan could hear it.

"_Tough. You're coming to the dealership_," Dan told him firmly. "_I'm outside Brooke's house and if you're not outside in five minutes, I'm coming in to get you_."

"Dad!" Nathan began as Dan ended the call. Nathan sighed and reluctantly withdrew from Brooke's mouth. She looked up at him puzzled. "My dad's outside and if I'm not in the car in five minutes he's coming in."

"Oh," Brooke said as she watched Nathan stand and quickly began to throw his clothes back on. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Help yourself Brooke. Just be thankful that you're not a guy," he told her with a grin. He then pointed to the obvious bulge in his underwear that revealed he was still highly aroused. "I have to sit in the dealership with this!"

"Poor Nathan," she purred as she crossed over and kissed him. "You want me to come round tonight?"

"Sure do," he told her with a grin. "I won't be mean and I'll let you get off then. I'll even let you get off more than once."

"You better! I mean you got me all revved up and now you're leaving!" Brooke said with a pout.

"I'll make it up to you tonight," he told her as he flashed her one of his famous grins. "Now I better get outta here. You can take care of yourself for now."

"It's not the same," Brooke told him in a whine. "Your dad sucks!"

"That he does. I'll call you when I'm allowed to leave the dealership okay?" Nathan said before he quickly headed out of Brooke's room, down the stairs and out of her front door. Brooke sighed before she headed into her en-suite to take a shower.

**~X~**

"I can't believe that some idiot did that!" Haley said to Lucas for the hundredth time. They were hanging out at the café with Mouth and Millie and Haley was working an extra shift as Karen was run off her feet with high school students.

"I can't believe Jimmy said that!" Lucas said in reply. "I thought he was our friend and he's been thinking all that about us behind our backs!"

"I can't believe he said that about you guys either." Mouth said as he shook his head disbelievingly. Millie took hold of his hand.

"I think there was a lot of stuff revealed on that tape that needs to be discussed by the people who said them with the people it involves," Millie said. "You know I actually feel sorry for Brooke."

"Why?" Haley asked with a frown.

"She looked mortified that the whole school had seen her do what she did," Millie said. "Yeah I know she is mainly a bitch, but she didn't deserve public humiliation like that."

"Well she should have kept her breasts covered then shouldn't she?" Haley asked in an angry tone. Lucas looked at her puzzled. "I have no sympathy for people like her."

"Hales where is this anger coming from?" Lucas asked her as he frowned.

"Girls like her make it so that girls like me are ever noticed!" Haley said as she stood up and headed behind the counter. Lucas watched her with a thoughtful look on his face.

"I think you need to talk to that girl," Mouth told Lucas. "I mean you heard what she said on the tape. She loves someone who is obsessed with Brooke and she spends a lot of time with them. So that's me, Skills and Jimmy out of the question. That just leaves you or Nathan. He's the only other guy she spends a lot of time with because of the tutor sessions."

"I know," Lucas said with a sigh. "I just don't know how to approach the subject with her. I don't want any awkwardness between us because I love her as a friend and don't want to jeopardize that."

"You guys need to talk though. And I think you and Nathan do too." Millie said softly as Mouth's phone beeped to tell him a text message had arrived. He looked at it and his eyes went wide.

"Oh my God!" he said as he looked between Millie and Lucas. "Skills says that the video is online!"

"What?" Lucas and Millie asked in unison. Both were stunned.

"It's online," Mouth repeated as he put his phone down. "That means the whole world can see what we said in that."

"And what some did," Lucas said as he immediately thought of Brooke. He stood from his seat. "I need to go. I'll talk to Haley later."

**~X~**

"How come you made it through all that paperwork so fast?" Dan asked Nathan with a scowl. "What did you do? Just dump it in the wrong places?"

"No I filed it like you told me to," Nathan said with a sigh. "I do know the alphabet you know! I don't need tutoring on that!"

"And I'm supposed to trust you on that?" Dan asked and Nathan nodded. "But I thought you said that trust is a lie?"

"What the _hell_ are you talking about?" Nathan asked confused. Dan had a habit of knowing just how to wind Nathan up to the maximum in the least amount of time.

"That's what you said in your little video," Dan said. Nathan's face paled. "So you have a brother huh? I never in a million years would have thought that you would ever call him that."

"Well he is," Nathan said. "You were the one that helped create him so you're his father in that sense."

"I thought we agreed that he was nothing to do with our family?" Dan asked Nathan in a firm tone.

"No _we_ didn't agree!" Nathan yelled. He got out of his seat and began to pace. "_You_ decided that I had to be an ass to him remember? You told me that if I didn't make his life hell that you would make mine hell instead. So I did. But you still went ahead and made my life hell _dad_!"

"Why do you sound so frustrated son? Is it because I interrupted your little liaison with Brooke this morning?" Dan asked with a smug smile. "Although I can't blame you. She does have a very nice set of breasts on her."

"How the hell do you know that?" Nathan asked wide-eyed. "And how do you know what I said in the time capsule video?"

"The internet," Dan said as he spun his laptop round and showed the screen to Nathan. Nathan glared at Dan as the screen showed Brooke flashing her assets. "I'd be in the same mood as you if I had to leave a hot piece of ass like that for filing. And what exactly was she doing to you when you were on the phone earlier? It sounded like you were enjoying it."

"You're sick you know that?" Nathan said as he clenched his jaw in anger. He couldn't believe Dan was actually staring at Brooke like that and asking the questions he was. He picked up his rucksack and headed towards the door. "I'm outta here."

"I don't see what your problem is. I mean it's not like I haven't seen more than that of Brooke before," Dan said causing Nathan to freeze at the door. His back remained to Dan. "I found the little tape the two of you made at the beach house. She certainly seemed to love having you in every aperture if I remember correctly. Does she always beg for it like a whore?"

"I don't know what aperture means, but I know that I really want to hit you for that comment!" Nathan told him actually surprising his father with his words. Nathan turned round and Dan saw the pure hatred and anger on Nathan's face. "You _don't_ get to say things like that about Brooke! She's not like that. You stay away from her because you try to do anything with or to her I _will_ hurt you!"

Dan sat behind his desk at a loss for words, which was unusual. Nathan stomped out of the office and didn't even care that he would have to walk back from the dealership. Dan was shocked at how protective of Brooke Nathan was. He wondered if he would be able to use that to his advantage. He grinned as he realized that he already had and Nathan just didn't know about it.

**~X~**

"You need a ride?" a voice asked dragging Nathan out of his daydream. He looked at the car that had pulled up and saw Haley behind the wheel.

"Are you offering?" he asked quietly.

"Sure hop in," Haley replied a little surprised. Nathan got up off the sidewalk and climbed into the car. "So why are you sat in the middle of the sidewalk like a homeless person?"

"Because my dad is an asshole!" Nathan said angrily.

"I agree with you on that one," Haley replied as she pulled out into the road once again. "You know it's a good thing I had to go and get Karen some supplies. Otherwise you would still be sat there like a bum!"

"Are you working at the café?" he asked her.

"I was. I'm just gonna drop these off and then I'm finished," she replied. "Why?"

"Can we have a tutor session?" he asked hopefully. Haley was surprised as it was usually difficult to get him to arrange them.

"Sure," she told him. "Have you got all your books?"

"Yeah." he replied sounding distant. Haley looked at him curious as she continued to drive.

Twenty minutes later, Haley and Nathan were heading to her house for their tutor session. When they got there Lydia told them to study in Haley's room as she was expecting company. So they headed up there. They went inside and Nathan flopped down onto Haley's bed as if he owned the placed. Haley watched surprised as she sat in the chair at her desk. Nathan then wiped his hand over his face in a frustrated manner.

"Wanna talk about it?" she asked causing him to glance over at her.

"About what?" he asked with a frown.

"Whatever's eating you up." she replied.

"I don't know," he replied honestly as he sighed. "Haley what does aperture mean?"

"It's another word for opening," she replied. "Why?"

"It's just something my dad said," Nathan replied as his jaw clenched angrily again. "And now I know what that means it makes me want to go and hit him even more!"

"Why what did he do?" Haley asked alarmed. She had never seen Nathan this angry. Not even when he was fighting with Lucas.

"He was being his usual sick and twisted self," Nathan replied in a defeated tone. He then surprised her by asking. "Do you think Lucas will ever forgive me for what I've done?"

"I don't know," Haley said stunned. "Maybe. Lucas can be a very forgiving person when he wants to. Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm sick of the fighting," Nathan admitted. "I never wanted to do it. I actually wanted to get to know my brother. However, our _father_ told me that I was forbidden to and that if I didn't make Lucas's life hell then he would make mine hell. So I did. The only thing is Dan didn't stick to his end of the bargain and he made my life a misery anyway! I just want it to stop Haley and I don't know how."

Haley was at a loss for words. Never in a million years had she expected Nathan Scott to be so open and honest with her. She knew he was telling the truth as he began to cry as he spoke. Haley got out of her seat and went over to him. She did the first thing that came into her head and hugged him. Nathan held onto her as he sobbed openly.

"I'm sorry for being such an ass to you too Hales," he said as he buried his face into her shoulder. She hated Dan Scott even more as she listened to Nathan pour his heart out. "You got caught up in the games Dan wanted me to play and I'm so sorry for every hateful and cruel thing I said to you."

"I forgive you," Haley said as she stroked his back soothingly. "I knew there was a heart in there somewhere."

Nathan continued to cry in Haley's arms and she was only too happy to offer him comfort. After a while, his tears stopped and he raised his head from her shoulder. He looked at her gratefully and then before he realized what he was doing he was kissing her passionately. Haley was shocked when she felt his lips against hers but she couldn't help but kiss him back. It was pure instinct. She also couldn't believe her first kiss was with him, but she was glad that it was. She was so lost in the feel of his lips on hers and his tongue battling against hers that she didn't realize she was led down on the bed with him on top of her, until he had her blouse completely unbuttoned. She immediately pulled her lips away from his.

"Oh no you don't!" she said as she pushed him off her. She was surprised when he fell on the floor and looked at her with a dazed expression on his face as she fastened her blouse back up. "I am _not_ Brooke Davis okay."

"God Haley I'm so sorry," he said as he got a look of horror on his face. He quickly stood and picked his rucksack off the floor. "I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I have to go."

"Nathan!" she called after his retreating figure.

It was to no avail as she heard the front door close with a bang. She flopped back down on her bed with a sigh. She couldn't help licking her lips and she smiled when she realized she could still taste him on them. Her phone beeped and she picked it up. Karen had sent her a message telling her that she could start her shift later the next day. Haley placed her phone back down and continued to daydream about her kiss with Nathan.

**~X~**

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the poster child for birth control." Clay said as he, Julian and Chase walked towards Jimmy who was sat alone at a picnic table in the deserted park. Jimmy looked over at them and braced himself for whatever they planned to do.

"You know if we killed everybody who hates you after your outburst, it wouldn't be murder; it would be an apocalypse!" Julian told him with a grin.

"Hey Jimmy, that's a nice shirt you have on. What brand is it? Clearance?" Chase asked causing Julian and Clay to snigger to themselves.

"What the _fuck_ do you want?" Jimmy grumbled.

"We're not happy with all that shit that you said on that time capsule," Julian told him as he glared at him. "You don't go dissing Brooke okay?"

"What is she your fuck buddy too?" Jimmy asked pretending they didn't intimidate him. The truth was he was petrified. "She's every guy in Tree Hill's fuck buddy right? And she doesn't care where she does it with them either! She definitely belongs in the trash."

"You better watch your mouth Edwards!" Clay said angrily.

"Yeah or you won't be able to eat anymore Twinkies!" Chase warned him.

"No you won't," Julian agreed. "Because your jaw will be wired together after we break it."

"Yeah along with every other bone in your body," Clay said. "Well that's if it reaches through all that fat!"

"You see nobody gets away with talking about Brooke like that," Chase told him. "We have to protect her honor."

"Does she have any?" Jimmy asked before he could stop himself. Julian, Clay and Chase glared at him angrily. Jimmy swallowed as he realized he was in deep trouble. He then wished he had gone home instead of to the park when the three of them began to hit and kick him mercilessly.

**~X~**

At one thirty that afternoon, Brooke was walking along the sidewalk in a world of her own. She had had to sneak out of her house due to the amount of people who had been coming by her house after the video had been posted online. Rachel had kindly informed her in a brief call when she and Owen had been having a breather from their x-rated activities. She had no idea where she was heading, but was thankful for the peace and quiet. For once, she was glad to be by herself and not surrounded by people who were constantly looking to her for approval. The only downside was that she still hadn't been able to relieve the desire that Nathan had built up within her before Dan had summoned him to the dealership and every step made her jeans add to it. She knew that if she didn't relieve that almost aching feeling soon she would go crazy.

"Well if it isn't the whore herself!" a voice said cutting into Brooke's thoughts. She turned and saw a beat up Jimmy Edwards behind her and rolled her eyes.

"What am I today? Flypaper for freaks?" Brooke asked with an exasperated sigh. She had had enough of the random people harassing her today.

"It's your fault I'm like this by the way!" Jimmy said as he glared at her with hatred clear on his face. "Your little fan club decided they had to defend your honor. Not that you have any!"

"Go fuck yourself!" Brooke told him as she turned back round and began to walk away from him. Jimmy followed her. "I mean that's the only way you'll ever get any action!"

"You know Lucas _used_ to be a great friend of mine," Jimmy said as he followed her. "But then he got this obsession with you and he changed. You took my friend away from me and I _hate_ you for it!"

"Jimmy I did no such thing!" Brooke told him, not even bothering to look at him. She just wanted to be as far away from him as possible. "If anything _you_ did that by what you said in your video. I mean come on everybody knows Haley is a virgin. She's supposed to be your friend too! I can't believe you would disrespect her like that!"

"Why are you sticking up for Haley? She hates you because the guy she's obsessed with is obsessed with you!" Jimmy blurted out in a frustrated tone.

"Because Haley hasn't done anything wrong and what you said about her was cruel and unnecessary!" Brooke snapped. "And Nathan doesn't slip girls the date rape drug! Only freaks like you would need to do something like that!"

"You mean there's actually a guy you won't open your legs for?" Jimmy asked with a smug sneer.

"I'd rather Brooke myself with a cheese grater!" she spat back before she increased her pace.

She looked around to see where she was and felt a little relief as she knew where she could go to get away from him. She increased her pace until she was running, leaving Jimmy behind. There was something about him that had creeped her out and she ran out of instinct to get away. She smiled as she saw the house she could go to. She just prayed that there would be someone home.

**~X~**

Lucas was led on his bed in just a pair of basketball shorts. His laptop was by his side on the bed and on the screen, he had a screen capture of Brooke from the time capsule video; right when she was exposing her chest. His eyes took everything in as his right hand worked his shaft furiously within his shorts. They were due for a wash and he knew it would be easier to clean up so Karen wouldn't be any wiser of what he had spent the afternoon doing. He was swiftly heading towards his release; the provocative image of his favorite brunette was aiding him perfectly.

All of a sudden, the doorbell rang on the main door into the house. Lucas stilled his movements instantly and groaned in frustration. He had been so close to his release. The doorbell rang again and he sighed as he took his hands out of his shorts and got up off his bed. He didn't think to close his laptop or even minimize the image. He headed out of his bedroom door just as the doorbell rang again. He strolled to the front door and opened it. Almost instantly, a figure breezed through the door hurriedly and Lucas was shocked.

"Close the door!" the person said quickly. Lucas frowned and did so before turning to look at his guest.

"Are you okay?" he asked concerned. His mind was struggling with the sight before him and he tried to regulate his breathing so that he wouldn't be busted for what he had just been doing.

"I think I am now," his guest replied. "Jimmy Edwards was just following me and being a total creep. He was all beat up and said it was my fault! Asshole!"

"He was?" Lucas asked as he went to look out of the windows. "I can't see him. I think you lost him Brooke."

"I hope I did," she said as she panted. Lucas then realized she must have run away from him. "I'm just glad you're in."

"Me too," he said with a grin. "You want a drink?"

"I'd love one." she told him gratefully.

Lucas led the way through to the kitchen. Brooke looked around at her surroundings as she followed him. She glanced through the door that led into his room and her footsteps faltered. She could see his laptop clearly. She smiled briefly as she realized what she had interrupted Lucas doing as she regained her senses and continued into the kitchen. She watched him pour them some home made lemonade from a jug in the refrigerator. The evidence of what he had been doing before she arrived was visibly clear to see as it bulged beneath the fabric of the shorts he wore. Brooke was happy that she had decided to go for her impromptu stroll and had ended up here. She wondered if she could persuade Lucas to pick up where Nathan had left off that morning.

"So what have you been up to on your unexpected day off school?" she asked as he handed her a glass of lemonade.

"Nothing much really," he replied as he licked his lips. "Just relaxing and surfing the net."

"Anything interesting on there?" she asked as she sipped the lemonade.

"Uh some of it was," he said as he cleared his throat. She saw a spot of alarm in his eyes as he obviously remembered about his laptop. "Excuse me I just need to go and switch my computer off."

Brooke smiled behind her glass as Lucas quickly headed to his bedroom. Lucas groaned inwardly as he saw that Brooke would have seen his computer as she had gone past. He knew that she had been eyeing his crotch, but that was nothing new. He was surprised she hadn't groped him yet, like she had at the clothing store. He couldn't believe that she was actually here in his house and they were being civil, especially after how she had spoken to him after he had taken her home after her shopping spree. He was also surprised that she had decided to come to him when she had obviously felt threatened by Jimmy. Lucas scowled at the thought of his once close friend as he moved to sort his computer.

"You don't have to close the image because I'm here," she told him startling him. "I'm actually kind of flattered you were obviously jerking off to my picture."

"Brooke I-" Lucas began but stopped. He didn't know what to say. He was completely busted.

"Don't be embarrassed Luke," Brooke told him as she stepped into the room and closed the door. She sat in the chair that was by his desk as he sat on the bed. "I don't mind certain people doing that. It's just all the other ones that are freaking me out."

"Why did you do it?" he asked. He was dying to know.

"Rachel dared me to do it," she said. "I wasn't going to and I wish that I hadn't done it now. But something came over me and I thought why the hell not. I'd do anything to go back and change it so that I hadn't done it."

"If it's any consolation, you look beautiful on it." Lucas told her with a smile. Brooke smiled back genuinely.

"Thanks Luke," she told him as she placed her drink on his desk and slipped her jacket off. "Have you spoken to Jimmy about what he said?"

"No and I don't see me doing so anytime soon," Lucas told her. "Tonight I need to talk to Haley and sort some stuff out with her about what she said."

"I only know what Jimmy said," Brooke told him. "I didn't hear everyone else's and I think I want it to stay that way."

"Really?" Lucas asked as he breathed a sigh of relief. At least she hadn't heard what he had said.

"Yeah," she replied with a nod. "I mean its bad enough that I have to deal with the fact that I'm internet porn."

"But you're the classy kind," Lucas told her then immediately regretted it. Brooke kinked her eyebrow at him. He quickly added. "Not that I know what other kinds there are."

"Sure you don't," Brooke said as she smiled. "I'm sure that picture of me was a cover up for something else."

"Brooke," Lucas said, as he laughed embarrassed. He was still shocked at the relaxed atmosphere between them. "Hey how's the chafing on your thigh?"

"Why do you ask?" Brooke asked as she laughed. "Do you want to kiss it better or something?"

"Do you want me to kiss it better?" he asked surprising himself with his bluntness.

"Maybe I do," she told him as she kinked her eyebrow once again. Lucas felt his shorts get even tighter. "Luke is Haley your girlfriend?"

"No, why?" he asked puzzled.

"No reason really. I was just curious," Brooke said as she smiled. Lucas looked at her curiously, as her smile grew wider. This would be the perfect time to ask for his help. "Luke you know how I helped you out with the whole naked in the school hallway thing?"

"How could I forget that?" he asked her with a slight smile. "Why are you bringing that up?"

"Because I need your help with something." she told him.

"Whatever it is I'll help." he told her almost instantly.

"You don't know what it is yet." she told him as she got up from his seat and began to head over to his bed. She smiled as she did and Lucas couldn't help but get captivated by her. His jaw then dropped as she stripped her shirt off over her head. His now empty glass slipped from his hand and landed on the floor. Thankfully it didn't break.

"Brooke?" he asked as he swallowed and shifted uncomfortably.

"Lucas," Brooke replied. "The thing I need help with is that I'm so damn horny and I need a guy to take care of it. And the last time I felt your crotch it was more than ample enough to do that job."

"Brooke." Lucas said again in an unsteady voice. He couldn't believe this was actually happening. His eyes widened as he watched Brooke take her bra off and dropped it on the floor.

"Isn't this better than a picture on a screen?" she asked as she moved towards him. Lucas couldn't tear his eyes away from her chest. The next thing he knew, she was straddling his lap.

"God yeah!" he managed to say breathlessly. He had a feeling that this had to be a dream. He briefly wondered if the whole damn day was a dream and he would wake up on the floor with a raging erection after falling out of bed and then have to have a long cold shower.

"You _can_ touch them you know," she told him. She was slightly amused at the look of awe on his face. Nathan's had been almost identical when he had seen her topless for the first time. She also had a sneaky feeling that Lucas was a virgin and it thrilled her that she might get the chance to corrupt him. "And not just with your hands."

"Let me just shift my laptop so it doesn't get broken." Lucas said and mentally cursed himself.

Brooke scooted out of his lap and took the opportunity to take her heels off and grab some condoms from her purse. She always made sure to have some with her so she was always prepared. She had to be where Nathan was concerned. She never knew when he was going to surprise her after they had made their arrangement. Lucas had placed his computer on his desk and had turned round so he saw her retrieving the contraception. He became even harder as he realized he was going to lose his virginity to Brooke Davis. It was something he had fantasized about since high school had started.

"What are you doing all the way over there Lucas?" she asked him as she smiled. Lucas immediately headed over to where she was. He didn't want to annoy her in case she suddenly changed her mind. "What are you waiting for Luke? I'm all yours for the taking."

He then bent down slightly and began to kiss her breasts. He took her left nipple into his mouth and began to suck gently. Brooke grabbed his hair in her hand to encourage him and he began to suck harder. He reached down and started to unzip her jeans. Brooke helped him as she undid her button. He pulled them down as he began to trail kisses down her stomach, until he was knelt before her. Brooke was impressed and surprised that he was talented with his mouth. He pulled her jeans down her legs to her feet and she held onto his shoulders as she stepped out of them. Once Brooke was down to just her panties Lucas stared at her in awe. He felt like he did on Christmas morning when he was a kid. He really couldn't believe that this was happening. He prayed that nothing would interrupt this before he got the chance to go all the way with her.

Lucas surprised Brooke as he began to kiss her core over her panties. She moaned appreciatively as he did. Lucas had remembered seeing it in a movie and was thankful that he and the guys had watched some steamy video's at Skills house on a few occasions. His actions were exciting Brooke even more than she had been when Nathan had left her that morning. She had tried to help herself earlier but it hadn't worked. Lucas however was driving her crazy and she was extremely grateful when he hooked his finger under the elastic of her panties and peeled them off. He wasted no time and instantly moved his mouth back to where it had been before and he continued his previous actions. Brooke moaned appreciatively as he did and relished in the feel of his mouth against her without the barrier of clothing. He was making her feel amazing and she loved it. She let out a disappointed groan when he abruptly stopped.

"Why did you stop?" she asked in a disappointed voice as she looked down at him.

"I just needed to catch my breath." he told her as he breathed heavily.

"I'll let you off then," she said as she smiled. "Have you done that before?"

"No," he admitted as he blushed. "That was the first time."

"Really?" Brooke asked amazed. "You were pretty damn good at it considering it was your first attempt."

"I was?" Lucas asked incredulously as he couldn't help but smirk. He was glad she thought that and that he hadn't made a fool of himself.

"Luke, are you a virgin?" she asked him.

"Uh yeah." he replied embarrassed.

"I thought you were. I just wanted to double check," she told him. She grinned wickedly as she said. "You won't be for much longer if I get my way."

Lucas grinned as he scuttled forward on his knees and he started to kiss his way back up her torso. He quickly shed himself of his shorts before he moved upwards over her belly and breasts. She buried her left hand in his hair, brought his lips to hers and kissed him hard and his hands went to her tiny waist. Brooke reached down with her other hand and felt his shaft. It was rock hard and she could tell he needed release just as much as she did.

"I want to feel you inside me." She told him after she had pulled her lips from his. Lucas stared at her still completely blown away by what was happening.

He didn't say anything and Brooke could feel him trembling slightly. He had a look on his face that said nothing was going to stop him now. He had waited years for this and he was more than ready. Brooke smiled at him as she sat on his bed so that her face was level with his crotch. She couldn't help but notice that that particular area on him was identical to Nathan. She picked one of the condoms off his nightstand where she had placed them and tore it open. Lucas watched as she took the contraceptive out and began to roll it down his length so that he was covered. He couldn't help the appreciative moan that left his lips as she gave him a few teasing strokes after she had completely covered him. She then moved so she was lying down on his bed. Lucas stood looking down at her savoring the view of her led there. He was doing so incase this was a one time only thing. He had a feeling that it would be. He climbed onto the bed and lowered himself over her. He felt his heart pounding as he positioned his hard shaft at the entrance to Brooke's willing and eager body.

She felt the tip of him make contact and Lucas gasped. He rubbed against her slick folds as he gripped his length and blindly sought out where he so desperately wanted to be. He prayed that he wouldn't make an idiot out of himself and have her laughing at him. Suddenly the tip of his shaft slipped into her and it was quickly followed by the rest. Both moaned as he filled her. Brooke immediately had an orgasm as he finished his initial in thrust and it surprised both her and Lucas. As Lucas watched her get lost in bliss beneath him he silently said goodbye to his virginity. He also felt proud that he had made Brooke climax without even doing much. He continued to hold still as she clenched around his length. Both could feel the head of his penis making contact with her cervix. Lucas glanced at the clock on his nightstand: 1:58 p.m. He knew he would remember this date and time for the rest of his life.

Brooke finally came down from her high and managed a happy sated sigh as she looked up at Lucas. She was glad she had finally got the release that she had been denied from achieving thanks to Nathan teasing her. In addition, the fact that she knew that she had claimed Lucas's virginity had made her even hornier. Lucas felt his instincts taking over any control he had left and he began to thrust erratically into Brooke. At that moment, he didn't care if he was doing it right or if he looked stupid, all he knew was that it felt good. Too good. Lucas tried the best he could to hold on, but after about sixty seconds of erratic pounding, he couldn't hold on any longer.

"Oh God!" he groaned into Brooke's ear as he buried his face into her hair.

Brooke felt his shaft twitch and jerk within her as he succumbed to his release. His breath blasted erratically against her ear as he groaned in pleasure. Lucas was thankful he had taken his meds as he experienced the most intense orgasm he had ever had. The whole situation seemed almost surreal to Lucas and as he began to come back down to earth, he felt Brooke's arms around him.

"How was that?" she asked him. He lifted his head up and looked down at her with an incredulous look on his face.

"I don't have the words," he replied breathlessly. "I'm so sorry I didn't last longer."

"That's okay Lucas," Brooke assured him with a smile. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. We can always go for round two when you've recovered. I can stay a while before I have to be somewhere."

Lucas smiled as he reluctantly withdrew from her body and rolled over onto his back. She sat up and she took care of the used contraceptive by throwing it in his waste paper basket. Lucas made a mental note to empty it himself so Karen wouldn't find what was in it. He watched as she climbed back onto the bed and moved so that her face was over his crotch.

"Now relax and enjoy," She told him. She began to place feather light kisses along his now flaccid shaft. It didn't take long for Lucas to begin to show signs of life again. "This will probably kill the mood a little, but you and Nathan are identical here."

"Thanks for sharing!" Lucas said with a disturbed frown. He didn't want to picture Nathan and Brooke together that way. He then groaned as Brooke began to stroke him.

"Sorry." she said as she gave him apologetic smile. Pretty soon, he was hard again and Brooke began to suck him. Lucas moaned appreciatively as she did and watched her intently as she continued her actions.

_I have _got_ to be dreaming_, Lucas thought to himself as he buried his hands in Brooke's hair, encouraging her actions.

She abruptly sat up and his hands left her locks. She moved over him, grabbed another condom from his nightstand and quickly covered him once more. Then she straddled him and eased his once more steel hard shaft into her until he was buried inside her. Lucas groaned loudly in appreciation and he was glad that there was no-one else home. Even more so as Brooke began to ride him in a steady motion that she could tell he enjoyed. Having only just reached a climax, Lucas lasted much longer this time around. After a long time of Brooke riding him and him burning the image into his brain, Lucas rolled her onto her back. He thrust into her with a slower and steadier pace than he did the first time. She could tell he was fast approaching his release by his breathing. She too was fast approaching another of her own.

A matter of moments later Lucas exploded again. He groaned loudly as he erupted into the sheath he wore. Brooke watched his face as he came. He clamped his eyes shut and clenched his teeth as he moaned. The sight of him getting lost in ecstasy made Brooke go over the edge. Lucas managed to open his eyes just in time to watch Brooke fall over the edge again. Brooke closed her eyes and got lost in pleasure that washed over her. Lucas watched in awe. He was no longer moving but Brooke was grinding hard against him. Brooke scratched at his back as she did and Lucas grunted at the sharp pain but he wasn't complaining. The four scratch marks on each shoulder blade would be proof that this wasn't a figment of his imagination. Eventually she calmed and Lucas rolled off her and collapsed on the bed beside her. They both led there trying to regain their composure. Brooke was panting heavily where as Lucas was once again breathing normally.

"I'm sorry for the way I bitched at you yesterday," Brooke said as her breathing regulated. "I didn't mean it."

"Well if that was your apology you're forgiven." he told her as he gave her a cheeky smile.

"I guess you can count the first round as you helping me with my problem and then the second can be your apology," she told him. "And I'm sorry for lying about calculus."

"Don't be," he told her as he watched her move from the bed and gather her clothes up. "You did it for all the right reasons. Why did you flirt with me?"

"Because it was fun," she told him as she began to get dressed. Lucas decided he too had better throw some clothes on. He felt a little exposed now she was putting hers on. "And I know for a fact that you enjoyed it. But I don't have to do that anymore."

"So what happens next?" Lucas asked suddenly. "I mean are we friends? More than friends?"

"I think we can maybe have a try at being friends," she told him as she slipped her shoes back on. Lucas felt saddened by her words but realized that it was better than nothing. "But you and Nathan need to sort out all the drama that's between you once and for all, because I don't want to have to take sides. Because if I do, I'll be on Nathan's."

"I figured as much." Lucas said sounding a little angry as he finished dressing in the clothes he had worn to school earlier.

"Lucas. I know there's bad blood between you, but Nathan has been there _so_ much for me," Brooke told him in a sincere tone. He looked at her surprised. "Trust me; Nathan isn't the bad guy he makes out to be. Deep down inside he has a heart of gold. He just doesn't show it."

"From what I heard in his time capsule video, you're right," Lucas said surprising Brooke. "If Nathan wants to try and sort out this family drama then tell him to arrange a time and a neutral place. That's all I can say Brooke."

"That's a start right?" Brooke asked with a grin. "You two are more alike than you'll ever know."

"Yeah so you told me," Lucas said with a frown. "I didn't really need to know that particular information you told me."

"It's not just that area where you guys are the same," Brooke told him with a cheeky grin as her phone beeped to signal a text. She quickly read it and put her phone away. "You also have something else in common besides the obvious."

"What's that then?" Lucas asked unable to help himself.

"You both lost your virginity to me," Brooke said as she headed towards a door she saw that obviously led outside. "Anyway I have to go. That text was an arrangement I made earlier. Enjoy the rest of your day Lucas."

**~X~**

"Wow I'm surprised the two of you could pry yourselves away from your men!" Lindsey said to Peyton and Rachel as they came up to the allocated meeting point in the mall. Lindsey, Bevin, Quinn and Mia were already there waiting.

"Where's Brooke?" Rachel asked as she surveyed who was there.

"Probably hiding away in shame. I would if I was her." Peyton said with a laugh. Quinn frowned.

"Peyton what has she got to be ashamed about?" Quinn asked her. "She has a perfectly good pair of boobs on her."

"They're not as good as mine." Rachel said with a smile.

"At least hers are natural." Bevin said with a laugh, causing the others to join in.

"Point taken," Rachel said with a wide smile. "Owen loves these beauties though. I even have the bite mark to prove it."

"Rachel!" Mia said as she shook her head at Rachel. "You really need to look up the definition of over sharing."

"Hey girls sorry I'm late!" Brooke said as she hurried up to them. "I had to sneak out of my house so I had to get a cab here."

"Who did you just finish having sex with?" Rachel asked her.

"Nobody!" Brooke replied as she swallowed.

"You _so_ have," Bevin told her. "You have that flush about you that girls get after great orgasms!"

"Well it wasn't Jake or Owen." Peyton said.

"Or Skills!" Bevin piped up. Everyone's heads spun round to look at her.

"Since when did you and Skills hook up?" Quinn asked her.

"It's been going on for a while," Bevin said. "I notebooked him and the rest is history."

"And it wasn't Julian, Clay or Chase because they went to sort Jimmy out." Lindsey said.

"And they certainly did," Brooke said as she remembered her encounter with him. "I ran into him afterwards and he said it was my fault."

"It's _his_ fault!" Quinn said immediately.

"Yeah." the others agreed.

"If he had kept his fat mouth shut he wouldn't be getting the grief now would he?" Mia asked.

"Look can we just get on with shopping?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah. I need to get Jenny some new clothes," Peyton said. "She's grown out of her old ones."

"Okay let's hit the stores," Rachel said. "But this isn't the last on who Brooke had sex with! I bet it was Nathan!"

**~X~**

"So why are we meeting up with Jimmy?" Haley asked in an annoyed voice as she arrived at the river court. She sat down next to Lucas and across from Millie. Mouth was beside her and Skills was at Lucas' other side.

"I don't know," Skills replied. "He just sent me a text and said he needed to talk."

"Well, he's here now so ask him." Lucas said as they saw a beat up Jimmy sit down next to Mouth.

"What the hell happened to you?" Mouth asked shocked.

"I was at the park minding my own business when Nathan, Julian, Clay, Chase, Jake, Owen and Brooke showed up," Jimmy began. Lucas and Haley frowned slightly at the names he mentioned. "The next thing I know the guys are all beating my ass and Brooke's cheering them along."

"What time was this?" Haley asked suspiciously.

"Two," Jimmy replied. Lucas and Haley rolled their eyes. "I know for a fact because I looked at my watch."

"What a load of crap!" Lucas said as he shook his head at Jimmy. Everyone looked at Lucas. "Brooke wasn't there at all. And I know that for a fact because she was with me."

"And Nathan was with me," Haley added. "And if you don't believe me you can ask my mom because she was there too."

"Maybe I got the time wrong." Jimmy stuttered.

"Maybe you're talking out of your ass! You said yourself that you looked at your watch. Have you suddenly forgotten how to tell the time?" Haley said annoyed. "You got beat up by some guys because of what you said in the time capsule. You ranted about everybody at the school so it could have been anybody. Yet you chose people who actually weren't there."

"Why are you sticking up for them?" Jimmy asked angrily as he stood and glared at Haley. "It's just like Brooke earlier when she was sticking up for you!"

"She was?" Haley asked with a frown. That was the last thing she had expected to hear. The surprises seemed to keep on coming today.

"Yes! She said that you didn't deserve what I said about you. That it was cruel and disrespectful." Jimmy confessed.

"I think I might be joining the Brooke Davis fan club!" Skills said. "She is _damn_ right about that!"

"Did this conversation happen when you were stalking her through the streets _after_ you had been beaten up?" Lucas asked. Jimmy looked surprised that Lucas knew that. "She told me. And your attack happened before she came to my house looking for somewhere to get away from you."

"So that means you were attacked before two," Mouth said. "So why lie?"

"Like I said I got the time wrong." Jimmy repeated.

"I'm not staying here and listening to anymore of your lies!" Lucas said as he stood and began to walk away. Haley quickly followed him. Mouth, Millie and Skills then quickly headed in a different direction, leaving Jimmy alone.

**~X~**

"So what did you say to Hooter girl when she made her topless debut?" Haley asked Lucas. They were hanging out in his bedroom. Karen and Keith were still at work.

"I told her that she looked beautiful," Lucas replied. He pulled a face as he said. "Then I told her she was the classy type of internet porn."

"Oh my god you didn't?" Haley asked as she tried not to laugh. Lucas's nod made her lose her fight to keep her face straight and she erupted into hysterical laughter. "What did she say?"

"She mentioned about me using her picture as a cover up for something else, seeing as though it was on the screen at the time." Lucas said with a frown.

"Why was it on- oh you didn't get busted doing _that_ did you?" Haley asked as she realized what Lucas would have been doing while looking at Brooke's picture. Lucas never replied but his face went red and Haley broke out into a fresh round of giggles. "Then what happened?"

"Hales can we just drop it?" Lucas asked as he shifted uncomfortably.

"It's _so_ funny when you're embarrassed!" Haley laughed. "But I really want to know what she did when she found you jerking off."

"She didn't _find_ me jerking off. She guessed when she saw my computer," Lucas said. "And I thought she was gonna be real pissed at me and shout at me but she completely surprised me."

"Did she give you an action replay?" Haley asked still laughing at Lucas's flushed and embarrassed face.

"It was a little more than that." he replied before he could stop himself. Haley did a double take and saw the awed look on his face as he obviously relived whatever it was in his head. She reached for her soda that was on his nightstand and her hand froze when she saw one of the unused condoms still sat there. Lucas had forgotten to move it. She then realized what had happened.

"Oh my god you had _sex_ with her didn't you?" Haley asked as she looked back at Lucas. He couldn't help the grin that broke out on his face. Haley felt a mixture of emotions, but was happy for him that he had lost his virginity to the person he wanted to. She couldn't help her next question. "What was it like?"

"Amazing!" he said as his smile grew wider. "It happened twice."

"Seriously?" Haley asked shocked. He nodded happily. "So I'm the only virgin in our group now? Except Jimmy but he doesn't count."

"I guess you are Hales." Lucas told her.

"I have a confession of my own to make and I don't think you'll like it." Haley said quietly.

"What is it?" he asked her curious.

"Nathan kissed me," Haley told him. "And I liked it."

"Is that all he did?" Lucas asked. He wanted to make sure Nathan hadn't made Haley do anything against her will.

"Yes," Haley replied. "He stopped, apologized then ran out."

"Man I feel like I'm in the twilight zone or something today," Lucas said as he frowned. "Hales, was Nathan the guy you were on about in the time capsule? Because I was trying to figure it out and the only guys you spend a lot of time with who like Brooke are me and him."

"It's Nathan," Haley said in a whisper. She looked at him pleadingly. "I'm so sorry Luke. I can't help it. He just makes me feel all tingly inside."

"Hales you don't need to apologize," Lucas told her. "I'm willing to call a truce with Nathan if he wants to. I told Brooke just as much."

"That's great!" Haley said with a smile. "Something else happened when Nathan kissed me."

"What?" Lucas asked her concerned.

"He unbuttoned my blouse and I freaked and pushed him off me," she admitted. "That's when he apologized and ran away."

"But I thought you said you enjoyed the kiss?" Lucas asked.

"I did and I wasn't bothered about the fact my blouse was open," Haley explained. "I was bothered about the fact that I am an inexperienced virgin and he's had _lots_ of experience. Mainly with the cheerleading squad."

"Oh!" Lucas said as he laughed slightly. "You never know he might have been understanding and coached you through it. That's what Brooke did with me."

"She did?" Haley asked stunned.

"Yes, she was awesome," Lucas told her. "I was so worked up and shocked that it was happening that I didn't even last a minute on the first go. Then the second time she took the lead and it lasted a lot longer."

"Are you sure it wasn't just some fantasy you had while jerking off?" Haley asked skeptically. "Or a dream?"

"That's what I kept thinking to myself at the time," Lucas told her. "But I know it wasn't either and was real."

"How?" Haley asked. "Please don't tell me that there are pictures."

"I hope not!" Lucas agreed horrified. He stripped his t-shirt off and turned his back to her revealing his scratched back. "There's the proof that I made Brooke Davis feel good."

"Damn!" Haley said as she saw the angry scratches. "They look sore."

"It was so worth it though." Lucas said as he smiled.

"I don't stand a chance with Nathan," Haley said with a sigh. "He loves Brooke. He said so in the time capsule."

"Maybe he meant as a friend," Lucas suggested. "Brooke told me that she and Nathan were close, but she never said anything about them being in love."

"It doesn't mean that he's not in love with her though." Haley said with a sigh. She and Lucas sat there in silence for a few moments. Lucas watched Haley and he could tell she was thinking things over in her head. He had gotten to know that look over the years. He knew how she felt though. He dreaded that Brooke could be in love with Nathan.

"What's wrong Hales?" he asked eventually.

"I need some guy experience." she said with an exasperated sigh.

"Hales, you know you can come to me, Mouth and Skills for anything you need to know." Lucas assured her, misunderstanding what she meant.

"I didn't mean like that," she told him. "I mean sex wise."

"Oh!" Lucas said shocked yet again. He'd lost count of the amount of surprises he had gotten so far that day.

"So does that mean you'll help me?" Haley asked. Lucas's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as he got yet another shock. "You just said I could come to you for anything. I'm sure Millie and Bevin would really appreciate me going to Skills or Mouth for this."

"Haley," Lucas said as he struggled to find the words to say. "Your first time is supposed to be special. Even more so for girls."

"Luke you make it sound like I had this big old fantasy about how I wanted my first time to be," Haley told him softly. "All I envisioned about it was being ready to do it. And I am."

"Hales I don't know if I can," he told her as he climbed off the bed and began to pace. "I mean you're my _best_ friend. I don't want anything to change that and if I did help you with this it could."

"Only if we let it," she told him. "Please Lucas."

"Haley you can't just ask me something like this and expect an instant answer," Lucas told her. "I need to think."

"Well I'll leave you to think alone then." Haley replied as she climbed off his bed, picked her book bag up and stomped out of his house. Lucas sighed and ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

**~X~**

Nathan was stood under the hot spray of water in the shower of the main bathroom of his house. The steam billowed around him as the water poured down onto him. He had gone straight there after leaving Haley's and had lost track of the amount of time he had spent under the spray. He had his eyes closed, his hands were against the tiled wall and his head was lowered. He was still going over what had happened with Haley. He couldn't believe he had told her what he had or that he had gotten so carried away with her. He had also jerked off several times to the image of her lying on her bed with her blouse open while he had been in the shower. He straightened and slicked his hair back as he raised his face up towards the spray. As he did he felt a pair of arms go around his waist. He smiled slightly and didn't even flinch as he knew that it would be Brooke. He turned round to face her and saw the sad look on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked her concerned.

"I did something _really_ stupid Nathan." she told him as her eyes filled with tears. He immediately gathered her into his arms and held her as she cried.

"What did you do?" he asked softly.

"I had sex with Lucas," she admitted through her sobs. "Twice."

"Brooke," Nathan said in a whisper as he continued to console her. "I thought you said you weren't going to do anything like that again."

"I know I did," she said as she pulled back and looked at him. "I just couldn't help it. I mean you got me all horny before you left and then I had to get out of my house because everybody and anybody kept coming and banging on the door. I ran into Jimmy Edwards and he freaked me out and I ended up at Luke's."

"I'm so sorry I teased you Brooke," he said genuinely as he cursed himself. "So much for me sticking to our arrangement. It's my fault. I don't think Lucas will go around bragging though."

"Why can't I just learn to control myself?" Brooke asked with an exasperated sigh. "It's true what everyone thinks about me. I am a slut!"

"No you're not." Nathan said trying to soothe her.

"Yes I am," Brooke insisted. "God I took Lucas's virginity today and then just walked out of there to go to the mall. You should have seen the look on his face! I'm a heartless slut!"

"Brooke how many guys have you had sex with?" Nathan asked her as he looked down into her eyes.

"Four now." she replied in a whisper.

"That doesn't make you a slut Brooke," Nathan told her. "People believe the lies about you that say that you've slept with way more than that. Four guys is nothing. I've had _way_ more girls than that. You know what I was like before our arrangement to help each other out."

"But you're a guy. It's different for guys," Brooke told him. She managed a smile as she said. "And that was one of the reasons I made the deal with you. You were whoring around way too much!"

"I'm glad you helped me stop that," he told her honestly. "So you had sex with Lucas huh? If it's any consolation I kissed Haley and began to strip her."

"You did?" Brooke asked wide-eyed. "And she _let_ you?"

"She let me kiss her, but as soon as she realized her blouse was open I was on my ass on the floor," Nathan told her. "I didn't even realize I was doing it."

"I've heard that one before," Brooke said with a smile. "As much as I love our little heart to heart in the shower, can we get out and cuddle somewhere more comfy? I just want to cuddle. I've had enough sex for one day."

"Sure we can," Nathan said as he switched off the water. "We'll have to do it at yours though. There's _no_ way in hell we're staying here tonight. Not when Dan is gonna be here."

"Okay," Brooke told him as they stepped out of the shower and wrapped themselves in towels. "We'll need to go in your car. Mine's still at my place."

"I'm gonna pack some stuff because I don't want to have to come back here for a while," Nathan told her with a serious look. "Is it okay if I stay at yours for a while?"

"Sure," Brooke told him. "You know you can stay as long as you want. I'll be glad of the company."

"Thanks Brooke," he told her gratefully. "While we're cuddling, I need to talk to you."

"That's fine by me." Brooke told him as he headed out of the bathroom. As he did he ran into Dan who was just coming along the hallway.

"Well if it isn't my insolent son," Dan said with a sneer. "Maybe I should have chosen the other one."

"Whatever," Nathan said as he moved away and headed to his room. "You already made his life hell. Along with mine."

"I can make them both so much worse." Dan taunted as Brooke came out of the bathroom. Dan took the opportunity to run his eyes over her towel clad form.

"Mr. Scott." Brooke greeted as she breezed past him and headed into Nathan's room and closed the door. Dan immediately jumped to conclusions as to what they had been doing in there.

**~X~**

"Hey Hales," Lucas greeted as Haley came into his room via the outside door. "How are you?"

"Okay I guess," she said with a sigh as she sat on his bed beside him. She dropped her purse on the floor at the side of the bed. "What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much," he said as he closed his book and placed it on his nightstand. "Just had dinner with my mom and Uncle Keith then decided to read. You?"

"Had dinner with my parents, Quinn and Clay," Haley said as she rolled her eyes. "That was fun!"

"I can imagine," Lucas said with a chuckle. "What did your parents say about the time capsule?"

"They said whoever released it is an idiot," Haley told him. "Surprisingly, Clay and Quinn didn't tease me about what I said."

"It's a good thing Taylor wasn't there huh?" Lucas asked with a laugh.

"God yeah," Haley agreed. "Have you thought anymore about our conversation earlier?"

"About what you asked me to do with you?" he asked. She nodded. "I haven't actually."

"I just want you to know that if you don't help me, I'm gonna go out and find some random guy to do it instead," Haley told him. Lucas looked at her with a frown. "And I could end up with some nut job who could be a murderer."

"Haley. You can't just ask me to do something _that_ major and then try to guilt me into it." Lucas told her with a sigh.

Truthfully, Lucas had no real objection with the actual act itself. His hang-ups were on the impact it could have on their friendship. It also didn't feel right. He had thought that Haley would always wait until she was married or in a steady, loving relationship before she took that step. Part of him felt honored that she was asking him to do this as he realized just how much she trusted him. However, the other part of him was telling him not to complicate their friendship by adding sex into the equation. He also knew that Haley's stubbornness would make it so that she probably would go and find some random guy.

"I'm not," Haley finally replied. She could see that he was deep in thought and looked like he was wrestling with his conscience. "I just really want to do this Lucas. And if you won't help me, I _will_ find someone else who will."

"Hales you know the risks of hooking up with random strangers. You read about it enough," Lucas told her with concern etched in his voice. "Please promise you're not going to go and do something stupid like that."

"Only if you help me Lucas." Haley replied. She knew that she was being a little unfair to him to blackmail him like this, but she needed him to help her. She had no intention of finding a random stranger to help her, but she wasn't going to let Lucas know that. She held her gaze on Lucas to prove that she wasn't going to back down.

"Fine I'll do it!" Lucas said with a sigh as he crumbled. He didn't want Haley to go and do something stupid and that she would regret afterwards. "But don't blame me if this makes our friendship awkward okay."

"I take full responsibility if that happened," Haley told him. "But nothing will make us stop being friends Lucas. Not even this."

"I hope it doesn't," Lucas told her. "I'm only doing this so that I know that you're safe and not with some freak."

"And I love you for that," Haley replied with a smile. "So how do we go about this?"

"Uh, well for a start we need protection," Lucas said quietly. Haley reached into her purse, pulled out a box and threw it at him. He caught it easily. "And you need to be uh prepared or it's gonna hurt like a bitch. Not that I'm the expert or anything."

"You're more experienced than me." Haley told him.

"God can today _get_ any stranger?" Lucas asked rhetorically as he made sure his bedroom door was locked. He didn't want Karen or Keith walking in and catching them.

**~X~**

Lucas was led in his bed wide-awake. It was two thirty in the morning and he hadn't been able to sleep as he kept thinking over the days events. Haley was sleeping soundly beside him. She had ended up staying over and she had persuaded Lucas to have round two with her. He couldn't believe the way the day had turned out. First with the time capsule, then Brooke and then Haley. It had been surreal. He wondered if he and Nathan could come to a truce and stop fighting each other. Haley murmured in her sleep as she turned over and snuggled up to him. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead. He was glad that they were still comfortable with each other. He smiled as he closed his eyes and finally drifted off.

**~X~**

Nathan was led in Brooke's bed with Brooke snuggled up tightly against him. Her head was on his chest and she was sleeping fitfully. He could feel the tears slipping out from underneath her eyelids as they fell onto his naked chest. All he could do was stroke her back as he too cried. He wished he could change so many things that he had done or said over the years, but he knew it was impossible. All of it was down to Dan Scott. Nathan was adamant that he wasn't going to do his bidding anymore. He knew he had to get out of his clutches. For now though all he could do was cry and hold onto his safety blanket; Brooke.


	5. Chapter 5

**CaseyJr - Don't worry there won't be any romantic feelings between Lucas and Haley. They'll just remain really close friends.**

**XHush-HushX - Jimmy's reasons for acting the way he does towards Brooke are going to be revealed at some point in this story. That is all I can really say for now without giving too much away.**

**Fireangel08 - I assure you that Laley will not be a couple in this and that the last chapter is the only one where they sleep together.**

**Leni - Brathan's relationship is going to be explored more in this. So is what happened between Brooke and Jake.**

**Jen loves Nathan - There is much more to their relationship than meets the eye. And Brooke's past is going to be explored and things revealed.**

**Diane Hermans, HouseBroken, craxygirl54, paigematthewsfan21, xXalienatedXx, Brucas Makes It Great, xXLil'BitofEveryThangXx, Cheery Rose 23, James McLean, Jessica James 23, The-Ryanator, JackSawyer99, Eve G, Alyssia-Owens, MollyCW23, Raven-Rachel23, Ashley J Scott, Beth-J-Matthews, Holly-Roberts - Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews!**

**Wow, I really can't believe the response this story is getting! Thank you all so much. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. As always, let me know what you think.**

* * *

><p>"How are you feeling?" Brooke asked Nathan as they sat in her kitchen drinking coffee. Neither of them felt hungry. They were feeling a little ill at the thought of having to face people after the previous day.<p>

"Like crap," Nathan replied honestly. "I don't know if I can face school today Brooke."

"Me neither," she replied in a sad voice. "Shall we just skip it?"

"We can't," Nathan said with a sigh. "They'd only call my dad. You're lucky because no-one knows where the hell your parents are."

"I don't think I can face everyone after yesterday," Brooke said. "Especially Lucas. I mean it's not that I'm ashamed that I had sex with him, I just feel bad for leaving right afterwards, like it was nothing."

"I kind of know what you mean," Nathan replied. "I'm dreading having to see Haley."

"At least you didn't have sex with her." Brooke told him.

"I know," he said with a sigh. There was a few moments silence between them. "Brooke can I ask your advice on something?"

"Sure Nathan," she told him. "You know you can."

"It's about Haley," he confessed. "I _really_ like her."

"As in you want to fuck her brains out like her?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah, but there's more to it," he admitted. "I never thought I'd say this but I want more than just sex from her."

"Wow!" Brooke said surprised.

"I've been struggling with this since before she started tutoring me," Nathan confessed. "And when I kissed her yesterday it just made everything clear and I finally understood what I felt for her."

"You love her don't you?" Brooke asked as a small smile played on her lips.

"I do," Nathan admitted. "And it's a different way to how I love you Brooke. I know we have sex and do other dirty stuff but I only love you as a friend."

"I know," Brooke told him with a reassuring smile. "And I only love you as a friend too Nathan. Especially after everything that you have done for me. I love how you protect me and make me feel safe."

"I don't stand a chance with Haley though," Nathan said in a frustrated tone. "And it's because of everything that I've said and done to Lucas."

"You might Nathan," Brooke told him softly. "Don't give up okay."

**~X~**

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked Haley as they walked along the sidewalk heading to school. He frowned as he took in the strange way she was walking.

"No," she said with a sigh. "I'm sore and it's making me walk like an idiot. I have no idea how I'm going to cope sitting in school on the hard chairs."

"You could always use your sweater as a cushion." Lucas suggested.

"Oh yeah because that wouldn't be obvious at all huh Luke?" she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey it's your fault that you have sore lady parts!" he told her. "You were the one who demanded I had sex with you yesterday. Just like Brooke did."

"I bet you think you're such a stud right now huh?" Haley asked with a laugh as she shook her head at the look on his face. "Nailing two girls in the same day."

"_Nailing_? Did you actually just say that?" he asked as he laughed. "I never thought I would ever hear you say something like that Haley James!"

"Well I never thought I'd beg you for sex but I did," she replied with another laugh. She spotted Jimmy walking on the sidewalk across the road from them. "God I hope he doesn't try talking to us."

"Me too." Lucas agreed as Chase, Julian and Clay pulled up in Clay's car. They climbed out, ran over to where Jimmy was and repeated their actions from the day before.

"You know I never thought I would say this but he deserves that." Haley said in a cold tone.

"I have to agree." Lucas said as they watched.

"You guys like the show?" Julian called over to them when he noticed them. They both crossed the street to where they were.

"Actually yes," Lucas replied as he glared at Jimmy surprising them. "Give him a hit from me."

"And me." Haley said as she and Lucas walked away. Julian, Chase and Clay laughed as Jimmy watched them walk off in disbelief.

"You know I think I may be warming to Lucas." Julian said to Clay and Chase as they continued to hit Jimmy.

**~X~**

Brooke was at her locker trying to stay anonymous when Lucas and Haley walked into the school. She saw them and tried her best to hide even more. Haley headed off to where her locker was and Lucas did the same. Brooke groaned silently and cursed. Lucas's locker was far too close to hers.

"Hey Brooke." he greeted as he worked the combination.

"Hey Luke." she greeted in reply, sounding awkward.

"Are you okay?" he asked concerned. "Is anyone giving you any grief?"

"What? No," she replied with a shocked expression on her face. "How can you be so _normal_? Are you not mad at me?"

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" Lucas asked puzzled.

"After what I did yesterday," Brooke told him. "I acted like a cold hearted slut."

"Huh?" Lucas asked confused.

"Right after I had sex with you," she said quietly refreshing his memory. "I just walked out like it was nothing. God I used you for my own selfish needs. Your first time shouldn't have been like that Lucas."

"Brooke," Lucas began softly making sure no one was listening. "My first time was how I wanted it to be."

"It was?" she asked shocked. "How?"

"Well this is a little embarrassing," he began in an even quieter voice as he moved closer to her. "I kind of had a fantasy where you would take my virginity."

"You did?" she asked stunned as a small smile played on her lips.

"I did. And you know something?" he asked. Brooke shook her head. "It was _way_ better than any fantasy that I ever had. And that was because it was actually real. And I know it was because I have the scratch marks to prove it."

"Sorry about those," she apologized as she blushed. "I kind of got carried away."

"Don't be," he said with a smile. It caused her to smile in response. "Every time they hurt I just remember how I got them. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she replied. "I guess I owe you that."

"Do you think there could ever be a repeat of what we did?" he asked in an almost whisper.

"Do you want a repeat?" she asked surprised. The only other guy she had had a repeat performance with was Nathan.

"I would love many repeats. But if it was just that one time I think I can live with that somehow." He told her honestly. Brooke looked at him stunned. She hadn't expected him to say that. As she thought over what he had just told her, Nathan's words from earlier that morning came back to her.

"Before I answer that question Luke, I need to ask you something about Haley." Brooke said. Lucas frowned slightly.

"She's not my girlfriend Brooke." he told her thinking that was what she was meaning.

"I know, you told me yesterday," Brooke replied. "I probably shouldn't ask you this, but do you know what her opinion of Nathan is?"

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked puzzled.

"I'm just gonna say it bluntly," Brooke said. "Is there ever any chance of Haley going on a date with Nathan?"

"There could be," Lucas replied wondering why she had asked that. "But I don't think Nathan even knows she exists in the dating capacity."

"Oh he does," Brooke mumbled as an idea formed in her head. "You have the same free period as me right?"

"Yeah." he replied even more confused.

"Great," she said with a smile. "Meet me here and I'll take you someplace."

"Brooke?" he asked curious. "What are we gonna do?"

"We're gonna play cupid," she told him as she closed her locker. "And if it works you'll be getting in my pants a _lot_ more Lucas."

**~X~**

"So you're gonna throw a party?" Lucas asked Brooke as they strolled towards the bleachers at the river court. "And everyone except Jimmy is invited?"

"Yeah," Brooke replied as they sat down. "That way everyone can mingle and we can try and put this whole time capsule thing behind us. And I'm gonna make it so that it's a themed party and everyone has to wear the same. That way there's no bitching about what others are wearing and no divides between the cliques."

"I understand what you're getting at," Lucas told her. "But what does this have to do with Nathan and Haley?"

"We set them up on a date." Brooke said simply.

"But I thought Nathan loved you." Lucas asked with a brooding look on his face.

"As a _friend_ Luke," Brooke told him. "Nathan and I are just friends with benefits. I know I can confide in him too and it won't go any further like it would if I told Rachel or Peyton. And Nathan can do the same with me."

"Really?" Lucas asked as a small smile tugged at his lips. Brooke nodded.

"Lucas I'm going to tell you something that I've never told anyone. I'm not going to go into details yet but I have a feeling that I can trust you Luke." she told him as she looked into his eyes. Lucas saw a look in her eyes that made him come over all protective.

"I promise you Brooke that whatever you say won't go any further." he assured her. She could tell by his eyes that he was telling the truth.

"Something happened to me last year. The details are pretty hazy. Nathan, Julian, Owen, Chase, Clay and Jake helped me," Brooke told him as she got a haunted look on her face. "That's why they're so protective of me. They are the only people that know what happened, not even the girls do."

"I promise you that no-one will hear anything from me," Lucas told her as he took hold of her hand. "If you ever feel that you can tell me exactly what it was you can come to me and I will listen and not judge you okay?"

"Okay," she told him as she burst into tears. Lucas frowned as his heart broke at how sad she looked. He pulled her into his arms and held her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize Brooke," he told her as he stroked her back. His chin rested on the top of her head and he couldn't help but notice how perfectly she fit against him. "You cry all you want. I'm not going anywhere."

**~X~**

"Are you okay?" Haley asked Nathan quietly. They were in the library at the high school and Nathan was supposed to be having a tutor session. However, Haley had been watching him for about ten minutes and he had been staring into space looking like he was deep in thought.

"Uh yeah." Nathan said unconvincingly as he snapped out of his trance like state.

"No you're not," Haley told him in a whisper. "Is this about what happened yesterday?"

"Which part of yesterday?" he muttered with a sigh. "A lot of shit happened yesterday Haley."

"I meant what happened between us," she told him softly. "Because if it is, don't beat yourself up about it. It wasn't that bad."

"I'm sorry I got carried away like that," he told her with a small smile. "But there's more on my mind than me undressing you."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she offered. Nathan shook his head.

"Trust me you wouldn't want to know," he told her. "I don't want you to have to be tainted by the sick world of Dan Scott. And if I told you what was bothering me right now, then that wonderful, beautiful mind of yours would be corrupted by him."

"Really?" Haley asked shocked. Her brain was struggling to register what Nathan had just said. His eyes went wide as he realized what he had let slip. He began to hastily gather his things together.

"Look I gotta go," he mumbled as he stuffed his books and papers into his rucksack. He was like a bumbling idiot and Haley thought she had never seen him look so cute. "Forget I said anything."

"Nathan!" Haley called after his retreating figure. He ignored her and the library door swung closed behind him. She sat back in her seat and couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face. She was shocked that Nathan had said what he had. It was clear he meant it going off his reaction. She smiled wider as she realized that there might be hope for her after all.

**~X~**

"You're throwing a party and inviting _everyone_?" Rachel asked as Brooke told the cheerleaders the plan she had come up with.

"Except Jimmy Edwards," Quinn reminded her as she rolled her eyes. "Keep up Rachel."

"And you want us all to wear the same clothing?" Peyton asked with a frown.

"Yeah," Brooke said. "That way we're all neutral and nobody is better than anyone else."

"I like that idea," Mia said. "We'll all be equals."

"It sounds awesome!" Bevin said happily.

"It's just I'm kinda stumped about what the theme should be," Brooke said. "I even asked Lucas and he didn't know."

"Lucas?" Peyton asked as her ears perked up. "As in the bastard spawn?"

"_Stop_ calling him that Peyton," Brooke told her with a sigh. "He's real nice when you get to know him."

"Just how well do you know the other Scott Brooke?" Lindsey asked with a knowing smile. Brooke couldn't help the blush that broke out on her face.

"Oh my God!" Rachel squealed as it dawned on her. "I bet he was the one you had sex with yesterday."

"Rachel just drop it okay!" Brooke told her in a firm tone. They all knew to stop teasing her when she used that voice. "Just help me think of a damn theme where we can all be the same. Even if it's for only one night I want our year to not have the barriers that school makes us put up."

"Apart from Jimmy Edwards." Bevin added.

"Yeah apart from him," Brooke said with a frown. "You know he really freaked me out yesterday when he was following me along the sidewalk."

"You should have kicked him in the man parts!" Quinn said. "That's what I would have done if it was me."

"I just wanted to get as far away from him as possible," Brooke replied with a shudder. "Then de-contaminate myself from being in the vicinity of him."

"Brooke I know what you can have as your party theme," Rachel said. All the girls looked at her. "You can have a toga party."

"That would be cool," Quinn said with a smile. "We can decorate your house to look like an ancient Roman villa. It would look amazing!"

"That would work," Brooke said. "We could have one style of toga for the guys and then another for the girls."

"People could give you their sizes and we could order them in bulk," Lindsey said. "That way you get discount too."

"Either that or arrange it with the costume store," Brooke said. "I know how some people can be a little tetchy about disclosing their dress size."

"That would be a better idea." Peyton agreed.

"And I have an idea to make it a little more risqué," Rachel said with a sly smile. The others shared a look before looking back at Rachel. "The toga is the only thing that is allowed to be worn. No underwear allowed."

"Yeah right Rach!" Brooke said with a disbelieving scoff. "And how do you propose to enforce _that_ rule?"

"We have people on the door checking it out," Rachel said as Brooke shook her head at her friend and wondered how her mind worked. "They have underwear on, they don't get in."

"You know you did suggest toga _party_," Mia told her. "And not toga orgy."

"Who's having a toga orgy?" Julian asked as he came up and sat beside Lindsey. He kissed her on the cheek as he did.

"I like the sound of that!" Clay added as he sat beside Quinn.

"Sound of what?" Chase asked as he appeared next to Mia.

"Someone's having a toga orgy." Clay replied.

"Sweet!" Owen said as he took his place beside Rachel. He looked at her and grinned. "Let me guess, it was your idea right?"

"Sort of," Rachel replied. "But-"

"And people wonder why I love this girl!" Owen said before he kissed her deeply. The others pulled their faces in disgust as Nathan and Jake arrived.

"God they're attached at the face _again_?" Jake asked as he perched next to Peyton. Nathan sat next to Brooke.

"I know you're supposed to eat at lunch, but I didn't think cannibalism was permitted in school." Nathan said with a grin.

"You're just jealous because Brooke won't let you _eat_ her in school." Owen said after he had pulled his lips from Rachel's.

"That's because you come to school to learn," Nathan retorted with a sly grin. "And Brooke knows I don't need any teaching in that area. I'm a pro. Ain't that right Brooke?"

"I hate to make that pride of his swell any bigger than it already is, but he's right about that. He's _very_ talented in that area." Brooke said with a grin of her own. Nathan grinned in response as he wrapped his arm around Brooke's shoulders and kissed her cheek.

"So who's having a toga orgy?" Jake asked.

"Nobody is having a toga orgy," Brooke replied. "I'm having a toga party. And Rachel people can wear underwear if they want to. I'm not having people on the door of my house checking to see what's underneath the togas."

"You're such a spoilsport," Rachel said with a pout. "But seeing as though it's your party we'll do it your way."

"Glad to hear it," Brooke said. "So when do you think would be best to have this party?"

"Well won't you be better off having a word with the manager of the costume store and trying to come to some kind of deal about discounts and see how long it would take to get the costumes in once the orders are all in?" Lindsey asked.

"Good point Linds," Brooke said as she began to write her list. "I think different people should be in charge of set things."

"Good idea," Mia said. "That way one person isn't over run by too much stuff to do."

"Okay Rach do you think you can do the invitations?" Brooke asked. "The ones you had done for the last party were awesome."

"I sure can," Rachel replied. "And I know they were awesome! I designed them."

"Decorations are next, so Quinn, Clay, Julian and Lindsey can be in charge of that," Brooke said. "Because you four rocked that at the last one too."

"Got it!" Clay replied. "What are we going for? Ancient Rome?"

"Got it in one." Quinn said before she kissed him.

"Alcohol can be Owen, Chase and Nathan," Brooke said. "Chase can be bar manager as he calls himself at these things."

"Was that sarcasm I detected there Brooke?" Chase asked her with a playful grin. Brooke just laughed in response.

"Peyton is obviously going to be in charge of the music." Brooke said through her laughter.

"Sweet," Peyton said happily. "You always give me the best part to sort."

"So food can be arranged by Bevin, Mia and Jake." Brooke said.

"What are you going to do?" Peyton asked Brooke.

"Talk to the manager of the costume store, as well as overseeing that the preparations go smoothly," Brooke began before looking at Rachel. "I want to do that before you get the invitations done. That way I can arrange for them to show it to the costume store guy to get their discount and we can put in the invitation they'll get that too."

"Good thinking Sherlock," Rachel said. "Plus we can write the deadline for ordering the costumes on them too."

"That's a good idea. Make sure you put that on," Brooke told her. Rachel typed the info into her phone so she wouldn't forget. "So the people who are doing the decorations, the dining room is going to be set up like a Roman banquet, the kitchen can be the bar and the lounge and patio areas can be the dance floor. Peyton you can set your DJ equipment up on the balcony at the back."

"That's the perfect place," Peyton said. "There's that canopy thing in case of rain so I don't get electrocuted."

"Should I add on for them to bring a towel on the invitations?" Rachel asked. "Because people are likely to end up in the pool again."

"You can if you want," Brooke told her. "How many are going to be staying over all night? I need to know so I can allocate rooms. I have a little surprise for each couple too so I will be in charge of setting the atmosphere in the bedrooms. As usual they will be off limits to the other party goers and you'll have your keys."

"I love Brooke's parties!" Lindsey said. "It's like going to a hotel or something."

"Thanks Lindsey!" Brooke said with a smile as Lucas, Haley, Skills, Mouth and Millie walked past their table. Brooke looked at Nathan and whispered. "Shall we ask them to join us?"

"Yeah we should," Nathan replied. He then turned his attention to the crowd going past. "Lucas!"

The five of them stopped in their tracks and Lucas almost reluctantly turned to face Nathan, as did the others. The people sat with Nathan and Brooke waited to see what was going to happen with baited breath.

"You wanna join us?" Nathan asked in a civil tone. "There's plenty of room."

"Uh," Lucas began as he looked at his friends. Skills was instantly at the table sitting besides Bevin who was beaming like a lunatic. "Sure."

Lucas sat at Brooke's opposite side so she was squished between him and Nathan. She didn't mind, in fact she found it rather comforting. Mouth and Millie sat between Lucas and Skills while Haley sat at the opposite side of Nathan, so she was between him and Jake.

"Hey maybe they could help with the party," Quinn said surprising Haley. She glanced at her sister and was rewarded with a smile.

"What party?" Skills asked.

"Brooke's throwing a toga party," Mia explained. "And the whole year is invited."

"Except for Jimmy." Bevin added.

"Sure we can help," Lucas said as he grinned at Brooke. "What do you need help with?"

"Well I have four people on decorations, three on alcohol and three on food," Brooke said. "Decorations definitely need more people to help because there's a lot of space to cover."

"Me and Millie could do that," Mouth offered in a nervous tone. "That's if you want us to."

"Thanks, that would be great," Brooke told him with a smile. "It's Mouth right?"

"Yeah." he replied as he lowered his attention to his food. Millie put a reassuring hand on his leg. Both felt very out of place right then.

"Skills can help me with the food." Bevin said.

"I don't mind helping with that." Skills said as he grinned at Bevin.

"Okay so Skills is on food," Brooke said as she added his name to the list. She then looked at Haley. "Do you want to help?"

"What's left that needs to be arranged?" Haley asked surprised at the pleasant tone Brooke used to speak to her in.

"It's pretty boring but sorting out ice and cups doesn't have anyone," Brooke told her. "I was going to get the guys who were getting the alcohol to do it, but I think it needs a woman's touch to be just right."

"I can do that," Haley said with a smile. "Do you need paper plates and napkins and stuff too?"

"Sure do," Brooke told her. "Don't worry about budget because it's all going to be paid for. If you can try and find some Roman-esque style stuff."

"Got it." Haley said with a nod.

"So what about costumes?" Lucas asked.

"I'm gonna speak to the guy at the store and hopefully we can put something in the invitations about discount," Brooke said. "But we're having one style for guys and another for the girls. That way we're all equal."

"Sounds like a plan." Lucas said as they spotted Jimmy walking past. He glared over at them and shook his head.

"It didn't take you long to join the dick crowd!" he yelled as he carried on walking.

"You wanna come over here and say that?" Owen yelled after him as he stood. Jimmy began to walk away faster. "Yeah that's right! Run away like the little pussy that you are!"

**~X~**

Lucas was stood at his locker in the empty school hallway. He quickly glanced around as he worked his combination to make sure that he was alone. He breathed a sigh of relief as he opened his locker and rummaged around inside until he found the pills he was looking for. He popped the cap and shook the right amount out into his hand, before putting the cap back on and shoving the tub back into his locker. He pulled out a bottle of water and took the lid off. He took the first pill, swilled it down with water, and was just in the process of taking his second when a figure appeared at his side, almost causing him to choke.

"What are you taking?" the person asked. "Can I have some?"

"Peyton you almost gave me a heart attack," Lucas told her after he had swallowed the pill. He placed his hand over his rapidly beating heart. "Where did you sneak from?"

"I was watching you take those drugs Lucas," she told him sounding desperate. "Please can I have some?"

"No!" Lucas told her with a frown. "What are you a junkie or something?"

"It's not like that!" Peyton said starting to get annoyed and a little hysterical. Lucas watched dumbfounded. "I just need something Lucas! Please."

"You've come to the wrong person," Lucas told her. "I can't help you!"

"I don't want your fucking help anyway!" she said in a nasty tone. "Why would I want help from the bastard spawn?"

"Peyton!" Lucas said as he frowned further. She just gave him a look of disgust before she hurried down the hallway. Lucas watched her go feeling completely confused. He then felt someone hit him on the back of the head hard. "OW! What was that for?"

"I just saw that whole encounter buddy!" Brooke told him furiously. Her eyes were blazing and Lucas couldn't help thinking she looked incredibly hot when she was pissed. "Peyton doesn't need to be around people who take drugs! I'm gonna go and report you to Turner!"

"Brooke! It's not like that!" Lucas told her with a pleading look on his face.

"She was asking you for drugs Lucas!" Brooke said in a stern tone. "I saw you take something."

"It's nothing illegal Brooke," he told her as he rummaged in his locker and found the pills. He handed them to her. She frowned as she looked at the bottle. "They're from my cardiologist. I have to take them because if I don't I could die."

"What?" she asked in shock as she read the label. She then looked up into his eyes. "What's wrong with you?"

"I have a heart condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. HCM for short. I've had it all my life," Lucas told her. Brooke looked at him confused. "Basically I have a thickened heart and if I don't take these meds, then I can have a heart attack and die."

"Oh my God!" Brooke said in a whisper as she handed him the medication back. "How come you haven't told anyone?"

"My mom and Uncle Keith know obviously and Haley," Lucas told her. "And now you. I didn't tell anyone because it would only be another reason for them all to pick on me."

"You're okay though right?" Brooke asked worriedly. "Oh God! What about yesterday? Were you okay to do that Lucas?"

"Brooke relax I'm fine," Lucas assured her. "As long as I take my medication I'm good. It's only if I miss a dose that anyone should worry."

"Well make sure you don't," she told him as she carefully placed her right hand over his heart. Lucas looked down at it as she did and he felt a thrill run through him. "I hope that what's happened over the years hasn't put too much pressure on this. I don't think I'd ever forgive myself if anything happened to you for that."

"Brooke, I'm fine okay," he told her as he cupped her cheek in his right hand and tipped her chin up with his left. "I've gone eighteen years with it, so I'm pretty sure I have plenty more ahead of me."

"I hope so," she told him softly as she went on her tiptoes and kissed him softly on the lips. "I better get back to class."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for all the reviews. You rock!**

**I would also like to say thanks to those of you on FF who were part of the twitter craziness to get the OTH cast to tweet me happy birthday. I can't believe it actually worked and Chad, Sophia and James replied as well as Stuart Lafferty! You guys are awesome! Thanks for doing that! Hope you all enjoy this update and I apologize for the delay in updating. Also, Brooke is a little slutty in this chapter, but it's relevant to the plot.**

* * *

><p>"You know it's kinda funny how you have a thing for Haley yet you still insist on benefits with me." Brooke said to Nathan on Friday morning as they ate breakfast in her kitchen.<p>

"What can I say?" Nathan asked through a mouthful of cereal. "I'm young, free and single right now and I have certain needs. And it just so happens that you take care of those just perfectly. And it's so awesome doing that before breakfast."

"I'm not complaining about you satisfying those needs," Brooke told him with a laugh at the look on his face. "Because you more than satisfy me Nathan."

"I know," he told her with a cheeky grin. "The screaming of my name is proof enough. Did Lucas live up to my standards."

"He sure did," Brooke told him with a grin. "It must be the Scott genes."

"He couldn't have been that good or you wouldn't be still getting those benefits with me." Nathan replied in a teasing tone as he grinned widely.

"You carry on teasing me like that and I'm not gonna try and set you up with Haley." Brooke told him as she kinked her eyebrow.

"You wouldn't dare do that to me Davis." Nathan replied with a serious expression.

"Wouldn't I?" Brooke replied as she went and placed her empty cereal bowl into the sink.

"You do know I'm gonna get you back for this right?" he asked as he came up behind her with his own bowl. He brought his lips to her ear and whispered. "And I'm gonna do it when you least expect it."

"Bring it on Nathan," Brooke said with a chuckle as he placed his bowl in hers. "I can't wait."

**~X~**

"Well hello there new partner." Brooke said as she sat beside Lucas in the class before lunch. They had been paired together by Principal Turner.

"Hey Brooke," Lucas greeted with a smile. He couldn't help but run his gaze appreciatively over her. "I know where you bought that outfit."

"I wonder why?" she asked with a laugh. She then whispered. "You also know where I got my underwear from too."

"Class," Principal Turner began. He was watching the class as a teacher had gone home ill. "Settle down and be quiet. You'll be watching a short video and then you'll be getting a pop quiz."

He was met by a round of groans and Brooke looked at Lucas and rolled her eyes. He chuckled quietly to himself. Luckily they were at the back of the classroom so Turner never heard him. The class then began to settle down and Principal Turner then closed the blinds on the windows and turned the lights off before he pressed play. He then sat at the teachers desk at the front and began to look through some paperwork.

"God we've already seen this," Lucas whispered to Brooke. "It was only last week too."

"I know," Brooke whispered back with a grin. "I aced that test too and I can still remember the answers."

"Might as well have a nap or something." Lucas returned.

"Or something." Brooke whispered as she bit her bottom lip suggestively. Lucas looked at her curiously and wondered what she had in mind.

She looked over at Principal Turner and saw he was engrossed in the paperwork before him. She then looked around at the rest of the class and saw them all watching the video. She then grinned as she realized that she and Lucas were almost in a corner of the classroom and had a degree of privacy. It was perfect for what she had in mind.

A little while into the video, Brooke looked back at Lucas and found that he was watching her curiously. She took hold of his left hand that was on the desk and moved it under the desk. Lucas swallowed hard as his heartbeat sped up. He repeated the action again when he felt the flesh of Brooke's thigh under his fingertips. She guided his hand up over her thigh, all the while keeping her gaze on his. She grinned as his fingers came into contact with her panties and his eyes went wide. They went wider as she guided his hand underneath them.

"Brooke?" Lucas managed in a whisper. It took everything he had not to groan out loud as his fingers came into contact with her bare folds. "I don't think we should-"

"Sssh," she whispered as she began to move his hand. "We won't get caught. Trust me, I've done this enough times with Nathan and we've never been busted yet."

Lucas was at a loss for words at that revelation. He couldn't help but feel jealous at the fact that Nathan had done the things he had with Brooke. He couldn't believe that they had done what he and Brooke were now doing and he hadn't even realized. He snapped out of his thoughts as he realized the Brooke was no longer guiding his hand and he was moving it of its own accord.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Lucas whispered as he watched his hand move under her short black skirt. "It's so surreal."

"It certainly feels good though Luke." Brooke whispered as she panted slightly.

"Lucas can you answer the question please?" Principal Turner asked causing Lucas to panic.

He stilled his movements and was thankful that the Principal wouldn't have seen what they were doing as he was still sat at the desk. He pulled his hand away from Brooke and moved his eyes to the front of the classroom again. He saw Nathan looking over from his seat with a knowing smirk on his face and knew Nathan had busted them.

"Uh," Lucas stuttered as he moved his eyes to Principal Turner who was now looking at him with an annoyed expression. "What was the question again?"

There were a few sniggers from the other students and Principal Turner scowled. Lucas only then realized that the video had finished. He knew that he was more than likely getting a detention or was being detained after class.

"The question was what happens when there is no oxygen available for cellular respiration?" Principal Turner asked in an annoyed tone.

"Uh in cells that require oxygen for respiration, anaerobic respiration takes place in absence of oxygen," Lucas began as he pulled the answer from his memory. "Depending on the type of cell, anaerobic respiration produces either lactic acid or ethanol."

"Impressive!" Brooke whispered from behind her hand. She had finally regained her composure.

"Correct," Principal Turner replied. "But you're still staying after class."

Lucas groaned inwardly as the bell rang to signal the end of class and the beginning of lunch. Brooke gathered her things together and looked at Lucas sympathetically.

"Sorry," she whispered to Lucas as she zipped her bag closed. She felt guilty that he had to stay because of something she did. "How about I make it up to you later?"

"That would be nice." Lucas said with a smile.

"Meet me at my car after last period," she told him. "Nathan and Haley have a tutor date so we'll have my house to ourselves."

"You can count on it." Lucas replied as he watched her stroll out of the classroom.

**~X~**

"Nathan there you are!" Brooke said as she practically ran up to him after throwing her bag into her locker.

"What's wrong Brooke?" Nathan asked as he turned around from closing his locker.

"I need you to help me with something," she told him as she took hold of his hand. "Come on."

"What is it?" he asked with a hint of concern in his voice as he let her guide him to wherever they were going.

"You know fine well buddy," Brooke told him as she hastily moved down the hallway. Nathan was surprised at the speed the brunette was moving with. "I saw you smirking at Lucas."

"Oh so _that's _what your problem is," Nathan said with a chuckle. "So where are you taking me to help you with that?"

"Girls locker room," Brooke told him as they arrived at the doorway that led into it. "It's always deserted at this time of day."

"And how do you know that?" Nathan asked curiously.

"This is where Peyton and I had the talk when Peyton confessed just how bad her drug problem was right after we did her intervention," Brooke answered as she pulled him through the door. She pushed it closed behind him. "I feel a little slutty dragging you in here for sex but I won't be able to concentrate in the rest of our classes if I don't."

"We can't be having that," Nathan replied as Brooke led him through the rows of lockers. Nathan took his surroundings in as they went. "Aww man! It's just the same as the boys, except it smells better."

"What were you expecting?" Brooke asked with a laugh.

"I thought there'd be bras and stuff hanging up around the place," Nathan replied sounding disappointed. "I always wondered what it looked like in here and to be honest it's a big let down."

"If you don't shut up your not gonna get any," Brooke said teasingly. Nathan immediately stopped his complaining. "That's much better."

Brooke stopped when she reached her own locker. Nathan looked at her as he waited her next move. She surprised him slightly when she pushed him against her locker door and then devoured his lips with her own. Her hands then went to the hem of his black T-shirt and she pulled it up. Their lips separated so Brooke could pull the shirt from him.

"God I love these muscles," Brooke said as she dropped his shirt on the floor. He grinned at her as she ran her fingers over the vast expanse of his muscular torso. She looked up at him and grinned wickedly as she added. "I love the one in your pants more though."

"You do?" Nathan asked with a smirk. Brooke nodded. "Well why don't you show me how much instead of talking about it?"

"Gladly." Brooke replied as she quickly unfastened his belt, button and zipper on his jeans. She then quickly pulled them and his boxers to his feet revealing him to her completely. "I can't wait to get that inside me."

"That's what all the girls say." Nathan said with a laugh.

Brooke just shook her head at him as he lifted her up. He shuffled away from the locker and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She then moved her hands under her skirt and pulled the crotch of her panties to one side with her left and guided Nathan into her with her right.

"Move your hands." Nathan told her in a groan as he felt the tip of his length enter her. Brooke did and rested them on his muscular shoulders as he pulled her hips down and thrust forward, filling her completely.

"Yep I love that!" Brooke moaned appreciatively. Nathan chuckled lightly before he began to pound into her and guide her up and down his length. Their lips met in an intense kiss as he continued the rapid movements. He usually liked to take his time but he didn't want to risk them being caught. Nathan suddenly pulled his lips away from Brooke's so he could breathe. He then hissed and pulled a pained expression.

"Damn Brooke!" he said as he moved his left hand down her leg. He gripped it behind the knee and adjusted the position. She looked at him curious. "You just stabbed my ass cheek with your frikkin heel!"

"Sorry!" she managed before she let out another moan.

She leaned back against the lockers and lost herself in the wonderful things Nathan was making her feel. She could feel the metal digging into her back every time he thrust into her, but she didn't care. She only cared about the release she needed that was fast approaching thanks to Nathan's rapid and urgent thrusts. Literally seconds later she exploded as Nathan thrust in and pulled her down at the same time. She clung to him for dear life as she ground her pelvis against him. She let out appreciative moans that were far too loud for Nathan's liking. He quickly covered her mouth with his and kissed her deeply and intensely. He then groaned into her mouth as he exploded inside her. The intimate caress of her walls around him as she came had been too much for him. He had to pull his lips from hers once more as he felt his lungs burning.

"That was just what I needed," Brooke said in a satisfied tone as she came down from her high. "Now I need food."

"Me too," Nathan replied as he lowered to the floor so she was standing. "You girls have a mirror in here so I can see what damage you've done to my ass with those killer heels?"

"Let me see, you big baby," Brooke said as he turned around. She ran her right hand over the mound of his ass and squeezed it playfully. "It's just a graze Nathan. It's not bleeding."

"Luckily," he replied as he bent and pulled his jeans and underwear back up. He then retrieved his T-shirt from the floor and pulled it back on. "Next time we have sex you're taking the damn shoes off."

"Who said there would be a next time?" Brooke asked as she kinked her eyebrow.

**~X~**

"Brooke!" Lucas called as he jogged over to her car after the bell had signaled the end of the school day.

"Well hello there lover!" she said as she beamed widely. He returned it as he came to a stop in front of her. "You ready to finish what you started earlier?"

"About that," he said as he pulled a face. "I can't. I got a call from Ruby asking me to work extra."

"I know," Brooke told him with a smile. "You're going to be helping the special customer again."

"I am?" Lucas asked as he broke out into a wide smile at the revelation.

"Yeah I called to arrange it while I was walking to lunch," Brooke told him. "I'm giving you a ride there after we stop by your house so you can get changed. Now get that ass of yours in the car Luke."

**~X~**

"Are you looking forward to Brooke's party?" Nathan asked Haley as they studied in her bedroom. Haley was sat on the end of her bed while Nathan was sprawled out across it.

"Yeah and no," Haley replied. "I'm kinda freaking out of the whole hanging with the popular crowd thing."

"Hales it's not going to be like that," Nathan told her. "The whole point of it is so that everyone is equal. There's going to be no different crowds or bitching. You have nothing to worry about."

"What, are you gonna be there to stop them sniggering at me?" Haley asked jokingly.

"If you want me to then yes," Nathan told her seriously. Haley looked at him surprised. He grinned as he said. "I can't have nobody picking on my favorite tutor now can I?"

"You have more than one?" Haley asked with a laugh. Nathan joined in.

"Haley I really can't concentrate on this," he said with a frown as he threw his text book on the floor. "I'm just gonna have a nap."

Haley watched him as he rolled over onto his back and closed his eyes. She couldn't help but run her eyes over him. She felt her heartbeat speed up as she took in the sight that was Nathan Scott. She found herself wondering what he would look like on her bed led they way he was, but without his clothing.

"You enjoying the view?" Nathan asked in an amused tone. Haley's eyes shot to his face and she frowned when she saw that his eyes were still closed. "I can feel you moving your eyes over me. I feel so violated."

"S-sorry." Haley stuttered. Nathan chuckled.

"Relax I'm just messing with you," he replied as he opened his eyes and rolled over onto his side. "I know it's hard to keep your eyes off me because I'm so hot."

"Oh please!" Haley scoffed as she rolled her eyes. Nathan laughed at her reaction.

"I know you want to see me naked Haley James," Nathan continued. "Don't act like you don't."

"Whatever!" Haley replied with a laugh as she closed her text book. It was obvious they weren't going to get any tutoring done now.

"You totally do!" Nathan said as he climbed off her bed. He walked to the foot of the bed so he was stood in front of her and looked down at her mischievously. "Haley all you have to do is ask."

"Nathan I don't want to see you-" Haley said but stopped mid sentence as Nathan had pulled his T-shirt over his head. "Wow!"

He dropped his T-shirt on the floor and began to flex his muscles. Haley watched slightly open mouthed, not quite able to believe that Nathan was actually doing what he was. Especially in her bedroom. He then turned around so his back was to her. Haley was surprised to find herself thinking that his back was incredibly sexy. She had never thought that a back could be classed as that, but the rippling muscles of Nathan's definitely had to be. The way he was flexing didn't help matters either. He turned back round and saw Haley's expression. It caused him to grin wider.

"You totally want to hump me right now don't you?" Nathan asked in a tone that made Haley's pulse race. She managed to close her mouth and swallow hard. "Like I said, all you had to do was ask."

Haley's eyes went wide as Nathan then began to unfasten his belt. He quickly followed that with unfastening his button and finally his zipper. Haley's heart was now racing as she watched his actions. She knew his eyes were watching her face intently but she didn't care. Her eyes went even wider as Nathan dropped his jeans, revealing his boxers and he moved closer to her.

"Haley do you have those notes for whoa," Quinn said as she barged through Haley's bedroom door without knocking. She saw the sight before her and got the complete wrong idea. "And all this time I thought Haley was tutoring Nathan when it's obviously Nathan tutoring Haley."

"Don't you knock?" Nathan asked as he casually looked over his shoulder at Quinn. Haley leaned so she could look at Quinn.

"Yeah don't you?" Haley asked finding her voice finally.

"Aww what's the matter?" Quinn asked with a laugh. "Did I interrupt oral sex 101?"

"Quinn _get_ out!" Haley almost yelled. Nathan had made no attempt to pull his jeans back up or to even move away from Haley.

"I'm going," Quinn said through her laughter. "Have fun you two. I'll get those notes off you later Haley. Oh and remember mom and dad are downstairs so don't make too much noise Nathan."

"Is she always like that?" Nathan asked Quinn finally left the room and closed the door.

"Yes," Haley replied with a frown. "Pull your pants back up and get dressed. We have studying to do."

**~X~**

"Is there anything left for me to try on?" Brooke asked Lucas after swallowing the chocolate she had been eating.

"I don't think so," he said as he looked through the rail. "No you already tried it all."

"Is there anything you want me to try on Lucas?" Brooke asked in a playful tone. Lucas moved his attention round from the rail to look at Brooke who was dressed in just her underwear.

"Uh, there's a corset thing that would look _very_ sexy on you," he told her in a slight husky voice. Yet again, his dress pants were straining around the crotch area. "There's a matching thong to go with it."

"Well bring it to me and I'll try it," she told him with a devilish smile. "And I'll definitely need your help to get it on."

"I'll be right back." He told her as he headed towards the door. Brooke stopped him before he could reach it. He looked at her curiously as she took hold of his tie and pulled him towards her. She then kissed him passionately before she let go.

"Hurry up then." She told him. Lucas nodded and quickly left the room. A few minutes later, Lucas was coming back in with the corset and thong. Brooke smiled when she saw that they were both red. "Good choice Lucas."

"Thanks," he replied with a grin. "As soon as I saw them I thought of you wearing it."

"Let's get me in it then shall we?" Brooke asked as she took her bra off. This time Lucas didn't shy away and let his eyes roam over her.

"God you're beautiful." he found himself saying before he could stop it. Brooke beamed widely.

"Come on and help me get that on," she told him. "Then we can have a little fun."

Lucas helped Brooke into the corset. He found the fastening a little tricky to start with, but soon got the hang of how to do it. Once it was on, Brooke went to look at her reflection in the mirror, even though Lucas's reaction told her everything she needed to know. She looked hot.

"I'm _so_ buying this," she told him as she headed back over to him. "Now do you want to unfasten me Luke?"

He didn't need to be asked twice and he found that getting the corset off her was a lot easier than putting it on. He then hung it back onto the hanger before placing it with the items that she was purchasing. He then turned back around and was immediately rewarded with a sensuous kiss from Brooke.

"Those pants of yours must be extremely tight by now Luke," she told him once she pulled away. "Want me to help you with that?"

"What do you have in mind?" he couldn't help but ask.

"I want you to sit in the chair," Brooke told him. "But first drop your pants and underwear."

Lucas complied with her request and she watched him intently. Brooke found herself getting more aroused by him the longer she was with him. And she liked it. She then strutted over to him before she straddled him in the chair. She took hold of his hard length and guided him inside her. She teased him by sliding down him slightly and then moving back up. She repeated the action until he grabbed hold of her hips and pulled her downwards so that he was buried in her completely. Brooke moaned in appreciation as he did.

"Brooke, I'm not covered." Lucas moaned out as she began to grind against him. It had slipped his mind with all her teasing.

"Don't worry about it," she gasped out. "I'm going to the pharmacy after here to get the morning after pill."

"Good." Lucas groaned out. He knew that he couldn't stop now even if he wanted to.

His hands moved from her hips and buried into her hair. He then pulled her head down so he could kiss her. Brooke put up no resistance and welcomed his lips against hers eagerly. Brooke moaned into his mouth as he began to thrust. It didn't take long for either of them to reach their releases. Lucas had been turned on since his encounter with Brooke in biology. The fashion show she had put on hadn't helped him in the slightest either. He tore his lips away from hers and his chest heaved.

"Brooke I'm gonna-" Lucas began but was unable to finish his sentence as his release hit him full on.

He threw his head back and his eyes clamped closed as he erupted into her. Brooke watched him for a few seconds before she joined him in ecstasy. It seemed forever before the sensations finished and Brooke flopped against him. They both sat there breathing hard.

"Damn, that was intense," Lucas panted out. "I can't believe we did that here."

"What can I say?" Brooke asked as she leaned back slightly. "I like living dangerously. Well today anyway"

"So I can see," Lucas said as Brooke stood on shaky legs. "We better hurry so we don't miss the pharmacy."

"You need to go there too?" Brooke asked as she began to get dressed.

"Yeah," Lucas replied as he copied Brooke's actions. "Need to pick up my next batch of meds."

"We better hurry then." Brooke said as she speeded up.

**~X~**

"Peyton?" Brooke asked as she saw her blonde haired friend behind the counter in the pharmacy.

"Oh hey Brooke," Peyton replied with a smile. "What can I do you for?"

"You work _here_?" Brooke asked shocked.

"Yeah, it's my first day." Peyton replied.

"Oh." Brooke replied stunned. She wondered if it was a good idea Peyton working in a pharmacy. She made a mental note to have a talk with Jake.

"So what can I do you for B. Davis?" Peyton asked.

"I need the morning after pill." Brooke told her. She was kind of glad Peyton was the one serving her. She felt awkward asking for it from the usual person.

"Is that so you won't be having any baby Nathan's?" Peyton asked with a grin.

"Or baby Luke's." Brooke said before she realized it. Peyton's eyes went wide.

"As in Lucas _Scott _the bastard spawn?" she asked. Brooke blushed and nodded. "I want details. When and where?"

"Well Nathan, lunchtime in the girls locker room," Brooke replied. "Then Lucas and I finished about ten minutes ago in the dressing area of my favorite store. _Stop_ calling Lucas that! How many times do I have to tell you?"

"You little hussy," Peyton said with a laugh as she shook her head. "Both Scott guys in the same day? What's Lucas like that way? I'll try not to call him that, it's just a force of habit."

"Peyton!" Brooke said as she giggled. "I'm not telling you that!"

"So he sucks then?" Peyton asked as she sniggered to herself.

"He's actually pretty damn good," Brooke replied. "Now can you go get someone to get me what I need before I'm giving birth on the floor?"

"Sure, I'll be right back." Peyton said before she headed further behind the counter to where the pharmacist was working. Lucas came up to Brooke at that moment.

"Luke if you don't want Peyton knowing about your condition you better go to the other serving point," Brooke told him. He looked at her confused and she pointed to where Peyton was stood with her back to them. "I know she knows you take meds for something, but she doesn't know what for."

"Thanks for the heads up," Lucas told her. He noticed another assistant just finishing serving a customer. "I'll go over to the scary looking woman."

"I'll keep Peyton distracted while you get served," Brooke told him. "Then I'm thinking we head back to my car and maybe make out a little before I take you home."

"I like the sound of that." Lucas said as he headed over to get his medication sorted.


	7. Chapter 7

**xXLil'BitofEveryThangXx, GottaluvNaley – I assure you there will be an explanation as to why the characters are doing what they are in this.**

**Paigematthewsfan21, craxygirl54, HouseBroken, Diane Hermans, besatt, Nicole-2223, Carter-James, The-Ryanator, Jessica James 23, Danny-Walker, James McLean, Holly-Roberts, Raven-Rachel23, The-Tim22, JackSawyer99, Lee Martin, Cheery Rose 23, Bethany-J-Matthews, Courtneyk93, Eve G, MollyCW23, Ashley J Scott, Jen loves Nathan, The-Tommynator, Alyssia-Owens, Jason-Carlton, KayyyReneee – Thank you all so, so much for your reviews! You rock!**

**Thanks to each and every one of you who have reviewed or added to faves and alerts! I appreciate it. I apologize for the lack of updates lately. I've had a few technical issues! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>"Peyton?" Brooke asked as she saw her blonde haired friend behind the counter in the pharmacy.<em>

_"Oh hey Brooke," Peyton replied with a smile. "What can I do you for?"_

_"You work here?" Brooke asked shocked._

_"Yeah, it's my first day." Peyton replied._

_"Oh." Brooke replied stunned. She wondered if it was a good idea Peyton working in a pharmacy. She made a mental note to have a talk with Jake._

_"So what can I do you for B. Davis?" Peyton asked._

_"I need the morning after pill." Brooke told her. She was kind of glad Peyton was the one serving her. She felt awkward asking for it from the usual person._

_"Is that so you won't be having any baby Nathan's?" Peyton asked with a grin._

_"Or baby Luke's." Brooke said before she realized it. Peyton's eyes went wide._

_"As in Lucas Scott the bastard spawn?" she asked. Brooke blushed and nodded. "I want details. When and where?"_

_"Well Nathan, lunchtime in the girls locker room," Brooke replied. "Then Lucas and I finished about ten minutes ago in the dressing area of my favorite store. Stop calling Lucas that! How many times do I have to tell you?"_

_"You little hussy," Peyton said with a laugh as she shook her head. "Both Scott guys in the same day? What's Lucas like that way? I'll try not to call him that, it's just a force of habit."_

_"Peyton!" Brooke said as she giggled. "I'm not telling you that!"_

_"So he sucks then?" Peyton asked as she sniggered to herself._

_"He's actually pretty damn good," Brooke replied. "Now can you go get someone to get me what I need before I'm giving birth on the floor?"_

_"Sure, I'll be right back." Peyton said before she headed further behind the counter to where the pharmacist was working. Lucas came up to Brooke at that moment._

_"Luke if you don't want Peyton knowing about your condition you better go to the other serving point," Brooke told him. He looked at her confused and she pointed to where Peyton was stood with her back to them. "I know she knows you take meds for something, but she doesn't know what for."_

_"Thanks for the heads up," Lucas told her. He noticed another assistant just finishing serving a customer. "I'll go over to the scary looking woman."_

_"I'll keep Peyton distracted while you get served," Brooke told him. "Then I'm thinking we head back to my car and maybe make out a little before I take you home."_

_"I like the sound of that." Lucas said as he headed over to get his medication sorted._

Brooke watched as Lucas headed over to the other person who was serving. He spoke to her and then she turned and headed over to where they kept the medication that was ready to be handed out to the patients. Brooke then saw Peyton heading back over to the counter.

"The pharmacist guy won't issue it unless you show us your I.D." Peyton told her as she pulled a face.

"I know," Brooke said as she pulled her fake I.D. out of her wallet. She handed it to Peyton. "Can I get that one-step one? That way I don't have to take more than one pill."

"Okay, I'll go and show the guy Gretchen!" Peyton said with a smile as she went back over to the pharmacist.

Brooke looked back over at Lucas who was still waiting on his medication. The assistant looked like she was having trouble finding it. He looked over at Brooke and shook his head as he rolled his eyes. She tried not to laugh as she saw Peyton heading over to the counter once more. She quickly racked her brain to try and come up with an idea to keep Peyton distracted as long as she could. She saw a drinks display near to the counter and quickly grabbed a bottle of water from it.

"So you know what you're doing with this right?" Peyton asked as she placed what Brooke was after on the counter. Brooke placed the water down on the counter too and Peyton handed her the fake I.D. back.

"Sure do," Brooke replied. "Unfortunately I've had a few occasions where I've had to use this."

"Let me guess, all with Nathan before today right?" Peyton asked as she ran the item through the cash register.

"Yeah." Brooke mumbled. She was glad that Peyton was distracted; otherwise she would have known that Brooke was lying.

"Wow I didn't realize that it cost so much," Peyton said in surprise as she saw the amount on the screen. She then scanned the water. "That's forty three dollars and eight nine cents."

"Here you go," Brooke said as she handed Peyton a crisp fifty dollar bill. She watched as Peyton expertly work the register. "You look like you've been working one of those forever."

"It's easy," Peyton said as she handed her change over. "It basically tells you what to do. Are you taking that now?"

"Sure am," Brooke answered as she opened the box. She pulled out the foil popper packaging that housed the all important pill and pretended to have difficulty in opening it. "Damn do they make these reinforced now?"

"It amazes me how some of the packaging is so hard to open." Peyton said as she laughed and watched Brooke struggle with the packaging.

"Could you open that for me?" Brooke asked as she handed it back to Peyton. She could see that Lucas still didn't have his medication.

"Sure," Peyton said as she took the packaging. "I think there are scissors or something behind here someplace."

Peyton crouched down behind the counter and Brooke was relieved that she was unable to see Lucas from where she was. Peyton glanced up at Brooke and saw that she was distracted. She smiled as she removed the contents from the packaging. She then placed her hand into the pocket on the tunic that she had to wear as part of her uniform and pulled out some aspirin she had in there. She had pretended to have a headache earlier so she could get some for free. She had been instructed from one of her old friends to try and get as many free drugs as she could. They would be able to sell them on as other drugs. She compared them to the pill she had taken from the packaging and grinned even more when she saw they were practically identical. She looked over at the pharmacist and saw that he was busy sorting out prescriptions so she quickly placed the pill she had taken from the packet into her other pocket and placed an aspirin into the packaging. She then placed the rest of them back in her pocket before she stood. As she did she made it look like she was just getting the pill out of the packaging.

"You must be a weakling because that was so easy to get out of that packaging." Peyton told her as she handed it back to her.

"What do you expect? The Scott brothers took all my energy." Brooke retorted before she placed the pill in her mouth. She opened the bottle of water and drank, quickly swallowing the pill.

"You have a point there," Peyton said with a laugh as Lucas came up to them. She was overjoyed that Brooke hadn't even noticed any difference. He held a paper pharmacy bag that had a substantial amount of his medication in it. "Hi Lucas."

"Hi Peyton," he replied as Brooke drank some more water. "New job?"

"Yep, I just started," Peyton told him as she eyed the bag he held. "Is that you stocking up on condoms ready for the next time Brooke jumps on you?"

"Yeah," he replied with a nervous laugh. Brooke smiled and shook her head as she replaced the lid on her water bottle. Lucas looked at her and asked. "Are you good to go?"

"I am," Brooke told him with a smile. She then turned to Peyton. "Can you get rid of the packaging for me?"

"Sure I can," Peyton told her as she picked the empty box and other packing up. "Don't tell me, you're now going to head back to yours and have some more fun with Lucas?"

"Maybe I am," Brooke replied as she and Lucas turned to leave. "See you later Peyton."

"Bye." Peyton called as she placed the inner packaging that contained the pill into her pocket.

She smiled as she knew that she could get way more than what Brooke had paid for it. She couldn't stop it turning more smug as her thoughts turned the same way. She couldn't wait to see Brooke's face in a few weeks or months if it turned out that she ended up pregnant. As far as Peyton was concerned, Brooke deserved it. She had a feeling that something had happened between her and Jake while she had been in rehab, no matter how much the two of them denied it. And Peyton was going to do everything that she could to keep Brooke away from her man.

**~X~**

"Considering that you're new to this whole kissing thing, you certainly know how to do it brilliantly." Brooke told Lucas as they lay snuggled up on her bed a little later that day.

"Thanks." Lucas said with a slight laugh as he enjoyed the feel of her lying against him. They had headed to her room not long after they had arrived back from the mall and had spent the past few hours just kissing.

"You make a great pillow too," she added as she rested her head on his chest. "And hot water bottle."

"Are you cold?" he asked as he ran his hand over her back.

"A little," she replied. "I feel a little off."

"Do you need me to get you anything?" Lucas asked her as he kissed her forehead softly. Brooke smiled at his caring nature.

"What you're doing right now is enough," she told him as she sighed happily. "It's nice to just cuddle."

"It is," Lucas agreed as he felt her run her hand up over his torso. Her hand rested on his chest over his heart. He smiled as she did. "Don't worry; I'm taking good care of it."

"Good," Brooke replied. "You know, your heart may be flawed physically, but from what I've seen, that's the only flaw that there is with it."

"Thank you." Lucas replied feeling surprised and honored. He hadn't been expecting that.

"I know I haven't treated you good Lucas," she continued. "But I'm going to make up for it. For every insult, put down and degrading comment that was made. Especially when I could have said something to stop it."

"Brooke, you don't need to do that." Lucas assured her.

"I do," she told him as she sat up and looked down into his eyes. "I treated you horribly Lucas. And when Naley are together, I can devote my time to making it up to you."

"I still say that you don't have to do that," Lucas began as he gazed back into her eyes. "However, I see how important it is to you to do so. So thank you."

"It's the least I can do." She replied before she leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"So have you thought anymore on how we're going to get Naley together?" he asked with a smile as she settled back down with her head on his chest.

"I was thinking that they could have their own room here the night of the party," Brooke told him. "Nathan's staying here anyway and he won't mind having Haley share with him."

"Nathan's staying _here_?" Lucas asked her in surprise.

"Yes," she answered as he stroked his fingers over her hair. She debated for a moment before she spoke again. "You can't tell him I told you this okay?"

"I promise," Lucas told her honestly. "Anything you tell me won't go any further Brooke."

"He's having problems with Dan," Brooke told him. "I don't know what exactly but Nathan asked if he could stay here so I said yes."

"Why doesn't it surprise me that there was a sentence that involved Dan and problems?" Lucas asked in response. "That's all that guy causes. One problem after another."

"I know," she replied. She frowned as she said. "He gives me the creeps too. The day the time capsule was released and after me and you had sex, me and Nathan had a shower together. When we came out of the bathroom Dan was in the hallway and he gave me a really creepy look when I headed to Nathan's room."

"Dan is just a creep in general," Lucas replied as he subconsciously tightened his hold on Brooke. The thought of Dan leering at her repulsed him. "I take it you were just wearing a towel at the time?"

"Yeah," Brooke answered and felt his hold tighten even more. "He wasn't even supposed to be there."

"What did Nathan do?" Lucas asked.

"When I told him, he said that he's not risking me being near Dan," Brooke said as she let out an involuntary shudder. Lucas felt it. "I think there was something that he wasn't telling me. And I'm not sure that I want to know what that is either."

"Well I think I can safely say that you won't be bothered by Dan on mine and Nathan's watch," he told her as he kissed her forehead. "At least that's something we can agree on."

"What would I do without you Scott boys?" she asked as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his arms around her. She then yawned widely. "I'm so sleepy now."

"That's probably due to all the exercise you had today." Lucas said in a slightly teasing tone.

"I know," Brooke replied as she nuzzled her cheek against his shirt covered chest. "Will you stay and hold me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course I will," he replied. "You know I won't be here when you wake up right. My mom will want me home soon."

"I know," Brooke replied sleepily. "Can you come with me to the costume store tomorrow?"

"Sure I can," He replied with a smile. Brooke could hear it in his voice. "What time do you want to meet up?"

"I'll come by your house about eight thirty," she replied, sounding sleepier by the moment. "Is that okay?"

"That's fine," Lucas told her. "And you're in luck. I don't have to work tomorrow with me doing the extra shift today. Ruby told me I could have the day off."

"That's good." She said in a barely there voice.

"Do you want me to set your alarm?" he asked as he stroked her hair. He realized the action was helping her nod off.

"Mmm hmm," She mumbled, almost asleep. "Seven."

"Okay." Lucas replied softly.

He picked her cell phone off her nightstand and quickly set her alarm for seven a.m. He noticed that she had a text from Nathan telling her that he was driving around with Jake to settle Jenny down. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of Nathan letting someone know where he was and what he was up to. He had never pictured him doing that. He placed her phone back down and brought his attention back to Brooke, so he could enjoy the feel of holding her in his arms before he had to head home.

**~X~**

"Mom why didn't you wake me?" Lucas asked as he raced into the kitchen the next morning. He saw the clock on the kitchen wall and noticed that it said eight twenty five.

"You need your rest Lucas. You know that," Karen replied in a concerned tone. She was at the kitchen table having breakfast with Keith. "Why are you up so early on a Saturday anyway? I thought you didn't have to work today."

"I'm helping Brooke get the costumes sorted for the party." Lucas told her as he grabbed a glass and poured himself some orange juice.

"Brooke Davis?" Keith asked sounding surprised as he and Karen shared an equally surprised look.

"Mmm hmm," Lucas said through a mouthful of juice. "She's coming over any minute."

"Lucas you are _not_ going out without having breakfast." Karen told him firmly as there was a knock at the front door.

"Mom!" Lucas whined as he sighed. "That's her now."

"Invite her in," Karen told him. "I'm sure she won't mind waiting while you eat something. I don't like you taking your medication on an empty stomach Lucas!"

"I hope she doesn't mind waiting!" Lucas said with a frown as he headed to the front door. He opened it and was rewarded with a bright smile from Brooke.

"Morning Broody," she said as she saw his face. "You ready to spend a day in the life of Brooke Davis?"

"Not quite," he replied. He blushed as he said. "I'm not allowed out until I eat some breakfast."

"Oh, I can wait." Brooke said with a smile.

"Have you eaten already?" Lucas asked. Brooke shook her head. "Why don't you join us? My mom's food is awesome."

"If your mom doesn't mind I will." Brooke said as she went into the house. Lucas closed the door and then he led the way to the kitchen.

"Mom is it okay if Brooke has breakfast with us?" Lucas asked as he went through the door.

"Sure. There's plenty," Karen said with a smile as she looked at Brooke. "Help yourself Brooke."

"Thanks," Brooke replied as Lucas pulled a chair out for her. Karen and Keith shared a look and smiled. "It smells delicious."

"Just wait until you taste it," Lucas said as he got her a plate and some cutlery. "Do you want coffee or juice?"

"Juice is fine," Brooke replied with a smile. Karen and Keith continued to watch amused as Lucas poured her a glass of juice before sitting. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Lucas replied as he smiled at her.

"Dig in Brooke." Keith told her with a smile. Brooke smiled back as she placed some scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns on her plate. She picked her knife and fork up and began to tuck into the food.

"This is _so_ yummy!" Brooke said appreciatively after she had swallowed the first mouthful.

"Thank you." Karen replied with a smile before Brooke began to delve into her breakfast again. They ate in silence until all the plates were empty.

"Well we better get going and get to the café," Keith said as he and Karen stood from the table. "We'll leave the dishes until later."

"Are you going to be out all day?" Karen asked Lucas as Keith took their plates over to the sink and placed them into the water to soak.

"I'm not sure," Lucas replied as he headed over to the cupboard where he kept his medication. Both Karen and Keith were stunned as he took it openly in front of Brooke. He saw their shocked faces. "Brooke knows about my heart condition. I told her."

"Oh!" Karen said in a shocked tone.

"Both she and Haley look out for me and make sure that I'm okay." Lucas said as he placed his medication in his pocket to take out with him.

"And that he's up to date with taking his medication." Brooke added as she smiled at him. He smiled back and Karen and Keith shared another look.

"That's good," Keith replied as he picked his car keys up. He turned to Karen and said. "Come on honey, let's get going."

"It's going to be leftovers from the café for dinner tonight, is that okay?" Karen asked Lucas as she picked her purse up.

"That's fine," Lucas replied. "I don't know if we'll be eating out or not though."

"Just let me know if you do." Karen said as she and Keith headed out of the back door.

"Are you good to go?" Lucas asked Brooke as he placed their plates into the soapy water in the sink.

"Yeah I am," Brooke replied as she stood and placed her purse onto her shoulder. "Are you?"

"Let me just grab my wallet." He said as he grinned.

"Do you want to put your meds in my purse?" Brooke offered.

"Yeah if you don't mind," Lucas said as he pulled the container out of his pocket and handed it to her. She took it from him and carefully placed it into the bag. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she replied as they headed out of the kitchen. "So where's your wallet?"

"My room," he replied as he stopped at the doorway. He reached in and picked it up off his desk that was just inside the doorway. "Got it."

"Let's go then," Brooke said as she took hold of his hand. He grinned widely as they headed to the front door. "Have you got your house keys?"

"They're in the door," he replied as they reached it. Brooke leaned against the front door and turned to look at him mischievously. He gave her a curious look in return. "Brooke?"

"How about a little kissing before we head out?" she asked as her eyes dropped to his lips. She watched as he moistened them with his tongue.

"I like that idea." Lucas replied as he lowered his hips to hers.

**~X~**

"How's the calculus coming along?" Haley asked Nathan.

They were in her room studying. Nathan was again sprawled over her bed, only this time Haley was sat on it too. She usually sat on her chair at her desk while he took over her bed. She liked how it made her feel more like a teacher. She also liked going to bed after Nathan had lounged around on her bed as she could smell him all over the bed linen.

"I think I cracked it," Nathan replied as he looked over at her. "Do you want to check it?"

"Sure," Haley replied as he handed her his paper. She checked it over and could feel his eyes on her as she did. "You got them all correct. Well done."

"I did?" he asked with a smile. Haley nodded in response. "Can I get a reward then?"

"What did you have in mind?" Haley asked him as she put the paper down and looked at him.

"I want to kiss you." Nathan told her bluntly.

"Oh you do huh?" she asked as she couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face.

"Yeah," he replied with a smile of his own. "I've wanted to kiss you again since we kissed that first time. I promise I'll try not to get carried away again this time."

"Who says there's going to be a this time?" Haley asked playfully. She was thrilled that he wanted to kiss her again.

"Because you want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you," Nathan told her in the same playful tone. "Just like you wanted to see me naked the other day when Quinn walked in."

"So that's your theory?" Haley asked as she climbed off the bed. Nathan was dismayed at her actions and watched as she headed to the door. He was expecting her to open it and tell him to get out. He wasn't expecting her to turn the lock on the door and say. "Because that theory would be correct. And at least this time Quinn can't come barging in."

Nathan couldn't help the wide smile that broke out on his face as Haley headed back to the bed. She surprised him again as she climbed back onto the bed and led down facing him and then initiated a deep, passionate kiss. Nathan couldn't help moaning into her mouth as his arms went around her and pulled her against him. The kiss lasted until the air in their lungs ran out and they had to part for breath.

"Damn that was good!" Nathan panted as his chest heaved.

"It was," Haley agreed as her chest heaved too. She hesitated a moment before saying. "Take your shirt off."

Nathan's eyebrows rose in surprise as he obediently moved and stripped his t-shirt over his head and threw it onto the floor. Haley's eyes ran over his toned, muscular torso. Nathan watched her reaction as her eyes took him in.

"I think it's only fair that you lose your shirt too." Nathan replied before he realized what had left his mouth. He mentally cursed himself and again prepared to be kicked out.

"Why don't you take care of that?" Haley asked causing his jaw to drop in surprise. She smiled at the fact she had made Nathan speechless. "You seemed pretty much the expert at that before."

"Are you sure?" he asked her as he swallowed.

"Yeah," she told him with a shy smile. She could feel her heart pounding with nerves and excitement. "My bra stays on though. Got it?"

"Got it," Nathan replied as he removed her shirt in the blink of an eye. Haley was stunned at how fast he managed it. Her shirt met the same fate as his and Haley felt desire begin to pool in her belly at the way he looked down at her. "God Haley you are so beautiful."

Haley felt her heart soar with happiness at his compliment as he quickly moved back to her. She was now led on her back and Nathan's large frame towered over her as their lips joined again. Haley's arms went around him as he deepened the kiss and her hands explored the planes of firm muscle. His hips settled between her thighs and she could feel the hard mass that lay hidden in his jeans. She then realized that she had practically wrapped her legs around him too. As Haley got lost in Nathan's kisses and caresses, she couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips as she realized that they had the whole day to spend doing just this.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for all the reviews. Hope you enjoy the update.**

* * *

><p>"So Rachel said she will have the invitations designed and at the printers by the end of the day," Brooke told Lucas as she ended the phone call to Rachel. "She'll pick them up on Monday after school, so then we'll hand them out on Tuesday."<p>

"That's fast." Lucas said in an impressed tone.

"They always are for Rachel," Brooke told him with a smile. "I think she had a fling with the guy who runs it or something."

"So when are we going to start getting your house all done up?" Lucas asked.

"As soon as possible," Brooke told him. "Seeing as though the party is two weeks today. It may seem a long time but it'll fly past before we know it."

"I take it there is a lot to do?" Lucas asked her curious.

"There sure is Luke," she told him with a grin. "So we'll be spending a lot of time together."

"I can't wait." he told her as he smiled at her in response.

"Do you think your mom would let you stay over the night of the party?" Brooke asked him.

"I'm not sure," Lucas replied with a slight frown. "She's let me stay at Haley's overnight before. And at the guys houses of course."

"Well you need to ask so that I can arrange things," she told him. He looked at her with a curious expression. "I'm sorting out the rooms so people can stay over. Nathan and Haley will be in my parents' room and then it will be the usual couples in the others."

"Won't your parents be annoyed at that?" Lucas asked her.

"My parents are never there Luke," she told him. "They're always away on business or some vacation that they class as business. They don't even have anything in their closet because they're away so much. And it's the room Nathan is staying in anyway."

"Doesn't it get lonely in that big old house by yourself?" he asked her with a frown. "Who looks out for you and makes sure that you're okay?"

"It does get lonely," Brooke admitted. She then took a deep breath before she continued. "Nathan, Jake, Owen, Clay, Chase and Julian look out for me. As you know, Nathan is my best friend with some benefits and the others are like my brothers."

"Really?" Lucas asked in surprise. He had always thought that the guys had only hung out with Brooke for one thing.

"Really," she told him with a smile. "My parents have never been there and I don't ever need them to be there. I have all the family I need in them. And Lindsey and Quinn obviously."

"What about Peyton and the other girls?" Lucas asked.

"Peyton may pretend to be my friend, but she isn't," Brooke told him, surprising him. "She hates me because I helped Jake with Jenny while she was in rehab and couldn't."

"That wasn't your fault though," Lucas told her. "You didn't force her to take drugs did you?"

"No I didn't," Brooke replied. "Peyton has an odd way of looking at things. The way she looks at me sometimes is like she hates me and is scheming on how to get some kind of revenge."

"The phrase keep your friends close but your enemies closer is fitting for her then?" Lucas asked in response.

"I think you're right." Brooke agreed.

"What else do you want to do today?" Lucas asked after a few moments of silence.

"How about we go shopping for the little surprises I have planned to put in the couples room?" she asked. She was grateful that he had changed the subject.

"What kind of stores will we be going to?" he asked curious as he smirked at her.

"Some naughty stores," she told him as she kinked her eyebrow. "You'll have to let me know if you see anything you like in them."

"I think that you'll know if I see something I like," Lucas told her as he grinned in response. "You always seem to know."

"That's because it's really _obvious_." she replied as she started her car.

**~X~**

"You know, you're a damn good kisser." Nathan told Haley. They were still tangled up in each others arms and legs on her bed as they took a breather from the passionate kissing they had been doing for most of the day.

"Thanks," Haley replied as she smiled. "You're not so bad yourself."

"I prefer doing this to the tutoring." Nathan told her as he chuckled.

"Well we still have to tutor you," Haley told him as she laughed slightly herself. She couldn't believe that she was snuggled up to him on her bed after kissing him all morning. "You have to Graduate."

"I know," he told her in response. He then grinned as he said. "I guess we'll still have to have those tutor sessions then. But we'll also have to have make out sessions too."

"Are you sure you can fit those into your busy schedule?" Haley asked with a laugh of her own.

"I'll make sure that I can," he told her. "Have you got your breath back yet?"

"I do," Haley replied. "I take it you want to kiss me some more?"

"I sure do," Nathan replied eagerly. "And I know you want to feel me up some more."

"I wasn't feeling you up!" Haley told him as she moved so that she was looking at his face. She could see the teasing expression on his face.

"Then what were you doing when you were groping my back?" he asked in the same amused tone.

"I was familiarizing myself with your muscle structure." she told him.

"That's just a fancy way of saying you were groping me!" he told her. "I think it's only fair that I become familiar with your muscle structure."

"Nathan, I don't know." Haley told him in an uncertain tone.

"I promise I won't take your bra off," he assured her. "And I'll keep it above the waist. Your skin just looks so soft and from the tiny bit that I've felt it is."

"You promise you won't take my bra off or go below my waist?" she asked before she bit her lip. She wanted him to touch her, but she was just nervous.

"I swear on my life," he told her honestly. "I won't do anything that will make you uncomfortable okay?"

"Okay." Haley told him before their lips met again. This time however, Nathan let his hands begin to wander over the silky smooth skin of Haley's torso.

**~X~**

"Peyton when did you start working here?" Jake asked her in a shocked tone as he placed his basket of things for Jenny on the counter.

"Yesterday," she replied. "I was going to tell you but I didn't have a chance to yet."

"Do you think its wise?" he asked her with a concerned frown.

"Jake, I don't have access to any drugs if that's what you're worried about," she told him quietly as she began to scan the items through the register. "They're all out of my way and there's a pharmacist present at all times. The only times I have drugs in my hands is when I'm giving them to the customers."

"I still think that it's too soon," Jake told her in a gentle tone. "You've only been out of rehab for less than two months Peyton. You know they told you to avoid temptation as much as you can."

"And I am," she told him as she glared at him. "I'm supervised in here Jake. It's not like I'm running the place by myself is it?"

"Peyton I'm only saying this to you because I worry about you. Because I care about you!" he told her as Jenny began to cry in her stroller. Jake's attention immediately went to her and he carefully picked her up. "Don't cry Jenny. Daddy's here."

"Is she teething again?" Peyton asked as she noticed that there were a few tubes of teething gel in the basket.

"She'll be teething until all her teeth are here Peyton," Jake told her as he moved Jenny so she could see Peyton. "Look who is it Jenny."

"Hey Jenny." Peyton said as she smiled at the little girl. Jenny just cried harder and leaned back against Jake.

"I know your teeth are hurting you little girl," Jake told her as he turned her back to face him. Peyton just gritted her teeth as she continued to scan the items. "We'll get some of that magic gel onto your gums in a minute okay?"

"Did you run out?" Peyton asked as she finished bagging the items up. "That's sixty five dollars and twenty three cents."

"Yeah we ran out just before we came out. That's why I have a lot of tubes of it in there," Jake said as he struggled to get the right amount of money out of his wallet. He handed her sixty five dollars and then rummaged in his pockets for change. He scooped it out and placed it on the counter. "Can you get the twenty three cents out of there Peyt?"

"Sure," she told him as she quickly picked out the coins she needed. She then scooped the rest of the change back up and handed it back to him. "There you go."

"Thanks," he said as he shoved it back into his pocket. He then took the bag that held his purchases and struggled to put it into the part at the bottom of the stroller before he straightened. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I better get her back to the car and try and get her settled. Are you coming round tonight?"

"I don't know," Peyton replied. "My dad's back and I think he wants to spend some quality time with his daughter."

"Oh okay," Jake told her with a smile. "I hope you both have fun."

"I think we will," she told him with a smile in return. "Bye Jenny."

"Bye bye Peyton," Jake said on behalf of Jenny as he waved her hand. Jenny just cried louder. "See you later Peyton."

**~X~**

"Do you think that your mom would let you stay here tonight?" Brooke asked Lucas. They were in her room snuggled up on her bed.

"I don't know." Lucas admitted as he stroked her back.

"You should call her and ask," Brooke told him. "I want to snuggle up to you all night."

"That sounds good," Lucas replied as he kissed her forehead. "I'll call her and see what she says."

"You could tell her that there are a few people over here," Brooke suggested. "Like Nathan and Haley."

"My mom would ask Haley and Haley isn't a liar." Lucas told her.

"What if I invited Haley over so that she could keep Nathan company?" Brooke asked.

"Seriously?" Lucas asked in a surprised voice.

"Yeah," Brooke told him. "So why don't you call Haley before your mom?"

"You know I think I will." Lucas told her just as the doorbell rang.

"Well I will go and answer the door," Brooke told him. "But I want a kiss first."

"Gladly." Lucas told her before their lips met in a sweet kiss.

"If I'm not back up here when you've finished your call to Haley, come downstairs and rescue me." Brooke told him as she climbed over him and off the bed. She grinned as she felt Lucas's fingers trail over the curve of her ass.

"I sure will." he told her with a smile as he watched her walk out of the room. He then picked his cell phone up and called Haley. Brooke hurried down the stairs and reached the bottom just as the person rang the doorbell again. She opened the door and smiled widely as she saw Jake stood there with Jenny and Chase.

"Well hello there boys and Jenny," Brooke greeted as she stood back to let them in. "Come on in."

"Hey Brooke." Chase greeted as he strolled through the door.

"Hey Brooke," Jake repeated as he carried a sleeping Jenny into the house. "Is it okay if I put her in the usual room? I have baby monitors."

"Sure, you know the way." Brooke told him.

"When I've done that, I need to talk to you." he told her with a concerned frown.

"Sure. I'll come up," she replied as she closed the door. "I'm just going to have a chat with Chase."

"Great." Jake replied as he headed up the stairs and to the room he usually stayed in when he was at Brooke's. Brooke made her way into the lounge and sat on the sofa that Chase was sat on.

"So what brings you round this neck of the woods?" she asked him playfully.

"Mia is singing at a club in Charlotte," Chase told her. "I would have gone with her but they wouldn't let me in because I'm too young. I'm just glad that Mia asked before I drove all the way there."

"That would have been a bummer if you had done that and they turned you away." Brooke told him with a laugh.

"It would," Chase agreed with a smile. "So I thought that I would stop by and see how you were getting on. And that's when I ran into Jake and Jenny in the driveway."

"I hope that wasn't literally." Brooke said with a snigger.

"No it wasn't," Chase replied as he shook his head. "So how are you getting on Brooke? Especially after the whole time capsule thing?"

"I'm good actually," Brooke told him. "There were a few days where I thought that I wouldn't be able to cope with the shame, but it wasn't how I thought it was going to be. And Nathan and Lucas have been amazing."

"Lucas?" Chase asked in surprise. Brooke nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, he's been amazing," Brooke told him. "You know when Jimmy fell off the rope and I hurt my ankle?"

"Yeah." Chase said as he nodded.

"Well Lucas looked after me until Nathan took over," Brooke explained. "I went to the mall after taking double the dose of pain meds that sent me loopy. I passed out in the fitting room and he had to carry me to my car and bring me home. He was the perfect gent."

"He was?" Chase asked as he raised his eyebrows. His estimation of him rose. Brooke nodded. "I'm glad you had someone like him to look after you and not some sleaze ball like that night that we found you in-"

"Chase please _don't_ bring that up." she told him as she gave him a pleading look. He looked into her eyes and saw that they had the same haunted look in them as the night he was on about. He reached over and took hold of her hand.

"I'm sorry," he told her as he squeezed her hand comfortingly. "But we _will_ find out who that was and he's going to be punished by all of us severely. We'll even ask Lucas if he wants to join in."

"I haven't told Lucas everything about that yet," Brooke told him. "He knows that something happened to me and that you all helped me. I just need to build up the courage to tell him."

"Well if you need any support when you're doing that don't hesitate to call me okay?" Chase told her as he gave her a reassuring smile. "I think the other guys would say the same."

"I know. And I love you guys for how you're always there for me when I need you." Brooke told him as Lucas came into the room.

"Oh do you want me to leave you two alone?" he asked as he saw their serious expressions.

"No it's fine," Brooke said as she moved her hand from Chase's. "What did Haley say?"

"She was a little shocked when I asked her," Lucas explained. "But she and Nathan are on their way over."

"Really? That's good," Brooke told him with a smile as she stood. "And now when you call your mom and ask her about that thing, you can tell her that Chase, Jake and Jenny are here too."

"Okay." Lucas replied feeling a little awkward.

"Luke I need to go and chat with Jake about something," Brooke told him. "So why don't you and Chase hang out for a while after you've made that call?"

"Sure, we can get some drinks and stuff sorted." Chase said in a friendly tone as he smiled.

"That is a great idea Chase," Brooke told him as she smiled. "And Nathan and Haley should be here by the time I've finished talking to Jake. Then we can party. Quietly of course so we don't wake Jenny."

"Yeah that sounds good." Lucas said as he swallowed nervously. Brooke reached out and squeezed his hand.

"I promise I'll try not to be too long." she told him softly before she left the room.

"I'll go and make my phone call." Lucas said as Chase stood.

"Well I'll be in the kitchen," Chase told him. "Just head there when you're done and I'll show you everything I know about how to be a bartender."

"Uh okay." Lucas replied with a slight frown as Chase left the room. Lucas quickly pressed the speed dial for his mom and put the phone to his ear.

**~X~**

"So what do you want to talk to me about?" Brooke asked as she went into the room Jake usually used when he stayed over. She closed the door behind her as she did.

"Peyton," he replied with a sigh as he watched Jenny from his spot sat on the bed. She was sleeping in the crib they kept in there. "Did you know that she was working in the drugstore at the mall?"

"Yeah I found out yesterday," Brooke told him as she sat beside him. "I would have told you but I was kind of distracted."

"Nathan?" Jake asked as he managed a smile.

"Lucas actually," Brooke replied with a smile of her own. "We went into the drugstore yesterday to get me something and Peyton was there working away behind the counter."

"That's how I found out today," Jake told her. "I went to get some things for Jenny and saw her when I went to pay."

"I was going to talk to you about it Jake, but when I got home I fell asleep," Brooke told him in an apologetic tone. "I can't believe that she's working there."

"Me neither," Jake agreed. "I even asked her if she should be. She only got out of rehab six weeks ago."

"I'm worried about that too." Brooke admitted.

"She assured me that the only time that she has any drugs in her hands is when she's giving them to the customers," Jake told her. "And that she's supervised at all times."

"I wonder if they know about her being in rehab?" Brooke asked as she thought.

"I doubt it," Jake replied with a sigh. "Peyton doesn't like advertising that particular fact."

"Have you noticed her acting a little weird again lately?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah, but I was kind of hoping I was imagining things," Jake answered. "Do you think she's using again?"

"I don't know," Brooke replied. "It could just be adjustment issues. I do think that she's suspicious about us."

"Yeah I got that impression too," Jake told her. "When she saw that picture of us with the certificate that said mommy of the week for you, she went crazy."

"Do you think she knows what we did?" Brooke asked with a frown.

"I think she suspects that we did that Brooke," Jake replied. "But I'm not going to tell her. She doesn't have the right to know. Not after what she did."

"You know that day that you got me the certificate saying that was the day I started to get back to normal," Brooke told him. "And if we hadn't done what we did that night, I wouldn't be the Brooke Davis I am today. I would be an empty shell and probably would have driven myself crazy with trying to remember that night."

"You still can't remember what happened?" Jake asked her softly.

"I think I remember hazy bits, but then I'm not sure if it's my imagination filling in the blanks or an actual memory," Brooke told him. "Maybe one day I'll remember what happened. But then that might not be a good thing."

"Well we'll all be here for you Brooke," Jake assured her. "No matter what."

**~X~**

"I'm glad your mom let you stay over tonight." Brooke said to Lucas as they cuddled up together in her bed.

"Me too," Lucas agreed as he kissed her forehead. "It's nice to just lie like this."

"It is," Brooke replied with a smile. "It makes a change to just sleep with a guy without feeling like I have to have sex."

"I would never make you feel like you have to do that with me Brooke," Lucas told her sincerely. "Anytime you want someone to hold you like this, just let me know."

"You can count on it," she told him. She then frowned as she said. "I need a soda and I'm too comfy like this to go and get one."

"Do you want me to go and get you one?" Lucas offered.

"You don't have to." Brooke told him.

"I want to," he told her as he moved away from her and climbed out of the bed. She let her eyes wander over his boxer clad form as the moonlight bathed him in a silvery blue glow. "What soda do you want Brooke?"

"Something diet would be great," she told him with a smile. "Thank you Lucas."

"I don't mind," he told her as he smiled in return. "You just keep the bed warm for me."

"I think I can do that." she replied as he turned and headed out of the room.

He wandered down Brooke's hallway with care. There was enough light coming from windows in the roof to guide his way. He went past the room Haley was in and jumped slightly as the door opened. He saw Haley looking sleepy, dressed in what he assumed to be one of Nathan's t-shirts.

"Where are you going?" she asked. Her voice was thick with sleep.

"To get a soda," he replied. "You want one?"

"Yeah that would be great," she said as she came out of the door and headed to the bathroom that was across. Lucas looked at her and frowned. "There's no toilet in the little en-suite thing."

"Oh," Lucas replied. "I'll be as quick as I can with your soda."

Haley nodded sleepily as she closed the bathroom door and Lucas continued on his journey along the hallway. He went past Jake's room and heard soft cries coming form inside, followed by him speaking in a quiet tone. Lucas then headed down the stairs and along the hallway to the kitchen. He saw the light was on and wondered if it was Chase or Nathan who was already in there as he walked in.

"Lucas," Nathan greeted from his spot by the kettle as he waited for it to boil. He only wore boxers too. "How come you're up?"

"Brooke needs a soda." Lucas replied. He still felt weird about Nathan talking to him in a civil manner.

"Did you work her thirst up?" Nathan asked with a knowing smile.

"I didn't actually," Lucas replied surprising Nathan. "She just wanted me to hold her. So I did."

"Is she okay?" Nathan asked concerned.

"I'm not sure," Lucas replied. He was surprised at the amount of concern Nathan showed about Brooke. It became even more prominent at Lucas's reply. "She told me that something happened to her and that the details were sketchy. She also told me that you guys helped her afterwards. She didn't tell me anything else and that she would at some point. I think that whatever it was is weighing on her shoulders."

"I can imagine it is." Nathan replied.

"Also, she's freaked out by Dan and how he looks at her," Lucas told him. He saw alarm appear in Nathan's eyes at that revelation and frowned. "Why do you have that look in your eyes? Did Dan do something?"

Nathan was quiet for a few moments as he thought. Lucas could see the conflict in his eyes. The only sound in the room was the kettle switching itself off after it had boiled. Lucas waited patiently for an answer.

"Lucas, we need to sit and talk," Nathan told him eventually. "And I need you to not tell anyone that we had this conversation. Especially not Brooke."

"Okay." Lucas replied as Nathan headed over to shut the door. Lucas went and sat at the breakfast bar. Nathan joined him a few moments later.

"Dan seems to have a thing for Brooke." Nathan blurted out and Lucas's eyes widened in alarm at the revelation.

"What makes you think that?" Lucas asked.

"Brooke and I got drunk at an end of year party I had at the beach house last summer and we made a sex tape," Nathan began to explain. "I thought that I'd recorded over it, but I obviously hadn't. Anyway, Dan found it and watched it."

"How do you know?" Lucas asked as he pulled a repulsed face.

"He told me," Nathan told him with a sigh. "The day the time capsule was released he had me working at the dealership. He started speaking all this crap about what I said in the tape and then he went on about Brooke having great boobs. So I asked him how he knew that and he showed me that he was watching it online. He then told me that he'd seen more of her than that and told me he'd seen the tape."

"What did you do?" Lucas asked when Nathan went quiet. He could see the muscle twitch in Nathan's jaw as he clenched his teeth together in anger.

"I grabbed my bag and was about to leave when he asked me if Brooke always begged for it like a whore," Nathan told him angrily. "He also said that he saw how she loved having me in every aperture. I didn't know what it meant at the time, but I asked Haley later and she told me that it meant opening. It made me want to hit Dan even more."

"He seriously said that?" Lucas asked as his features darkened. Nathan nodded. "Brooke told me that he took the opportunity to gawp at her after the shower you two had."

"He did?" Nathan asked. Lucas nodded in response. "Lucas I need you to promise me something."

"What?" Lucas asked in a slightly doubtful tone.

"That you'll look out for Brooke and keep her safe from people like Dan," Nathan explained as he looked at Lucas firmly. "She's more vulnerable than people think."

"Of course I will Nathan," Lucas told him sincerely. He then added. "But I need you to promise me something too."

"What's that?" Nathan asked.

"That you won't hurt Haley," Lucas told him. "That you will protect her and look out for her the exact same way that you want me to for Brooke."

"I promise on my life Lucas," Nathan told him. Lucas could see the honesty in his eyes and was surprised yet again. "I wish I hadn't done and said all the crap I did to you and her over the years."

"Why did you?" Lucas asked curious.

"Dan made me," Nathan told him. "He told me that if I didn't make your life a living hell that he would make mine one instead. So I did. The only thing was that he still made mine a misery."

"I definitely got the good end of the deal then." Lucas murmured.

"You mean not having Dan Scott in your life?" Nathan asked in response. Lucas nodded. "You're right. After what he said at the dealership about Brooke, I realized that I needed to get away from him. So I packed some stuff and came to stay here. I just hate that one day I'm going to have no choice but to go back to him."

"What about your mom?" Lucas asked. "Can't she do something?"

"She's never here Lucas," Nathan replied in a frustrated tone. "She's as bad as Brooke's parents for not being here. I think that that was also why I picked on you. Because you have a mother that cares about you and protects you the way a mom should. And you have Uncle Keith. Why couldn't he have been our dad?"

"I ask myself that all the time," Lucas told him with a slight laugh. "Keith says that Dan doesn't let you visit him that much."

"He didn't," Nathan admitted. "He was too busy busting my ass with basketball training and telling me what crap to put you through."

"Have you looked into how you can get away from Dan?" Lucas asked.

"No I haven't," Nathan replied. "And I don't have any idea on where to start."

"You could always ask Uncle Keith," Lucas told him. "He always seems to know just what to do.

"I wouldn't know what to say," Nathan said with a sigh. "I just feel so frustrated."

"Nathan talk to Uncle Keith," Lucas told him. "He'll know what to do."

"Where's my soda?" Brooke asked as she came into the kitchen, followed by Haley. The girls took in the sight before them. "Okay I didn't expect to see this. I thought my parents might have came home or something and wondered why there was an almost naked guy in the kitchen. But I see that there's two of those."

"Sorry we were just talking." Lucas told her as he and Nathan looked over at the girls.

"That's a sight I never thought I would see." Haley said in a surprised voice.

"Same here Tutor Girl." Brooke replied. Haley chuckled at the nickname Brooke had bestowed upon her.

"Nathan let's get the girls their sodas," Lucas told him. Nathan gave him a grateful smile in response for changing the subject. "We'll go and see Uncle Keith tomorrow."

"That sounds like a plan," Nathan said as he stood from his seat. "I think I'll have a soda too. Coffee would just keep me awake."

"That's why people have it in a morning silly." Brooke told him as she shook her head at him. Lucas headed to the refrigerator and pulled out four sodas, making sure that two were the diet ones the girls wanted. He then closed the door and handed the sodas out.

"Come on let's get back to bed," Nathan said as he saw Haley shiver slightly. "It's getting kinda cold in here."

"I agree," Lucas replied as he and Brooke headed out of the kitchen, leaving Nathan and Haley alone. They heard him say. "Brooke you were supposed to keep the bed warm."

"Do you want to sleep with me to warm up?" Nathan asked her softly. "I promise no funny business."

"Okay," Haley replied with a soft smile. "If there is any funny business, I'll be out of there faster than you can blink."


	9. Chapter 9

**Paigematthewsfan21, Diane Hermans, KayyyReneee, fireangel08, xXalienatedXx, XHush-HushX, The-Tim22, BpDs89, craxygirl54, Alyssia-Owens, James McLean, JackSawyer99, The-Tommynator, xXLil'BitofEveryThangXx, Raven-Rachel23, Riley Barnes, Cheery Rose 23, Jessica James 23, Holly Roberts, Beth-J-Matthews, The-Ryanator, John Tate, Carter-James, Nicole-2223, Lee Martin, Jason-Carlton, Molly Cartwright, Jenn Giles, Eve Greenwood, Ashley Scott, Danny Walker - Thanks you all for your awesome reviews! Hope you all like this chapter.**

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><p>Haley woke up the next morning snuggled up to a pleasantly warm body. She made a happy noise as she felt a pair of muscular arms wrapped around her. Her head was resting on a perfectly defined and muscled chest and her right hand rested on a set of well-developed abs. She nuzzled her cheek against the smooth skin of the chest it rested on as her fingers stroked lightly over the abs. She heard a rumble come from deep within the chest as a chuckle could be heard in the room.<p>

"And you were the one that was worried about me starting any funny business." Nathan's sleepy voice said in amusement.

"This isn't funny business," Haley replied as she smiled. "This is me waking up."

"Do you always grope whatever you sleep on when you wake up?" he asked as his right hand rubbed over her back.

"That depends," Haley replied as she moved her head and looked at him. "Waking up today was pretty good."

"I agree," Nathan said as he chuckled softly again. Haley couldn't believe that she was actually waking up with Nathan and in Brooke's house of all places. "But as amazing as it is waking up with you groping me while you're practically on top of me, I _really_ have to go to the bathroom."

"I'm _not_ groping you!" Haley insisted as she moved away from him. Nathan laughed at her reply and Haley found herself joining in.

"Sure you weren't," Nathan told her as he climbed out of the bed. Haley found her eyes roamed over him of their own accord. They lingered on the obvious bulge that was straining against his underwear. "Enjoying the view?"

"Immensely." Haley replied with a smile, surprising Nathan.

"I better get in the bathroom." he told her before he turned and quickly headed towards the en-suite. Haley laughed softly to herself as she admired his back and ass.

**~X~**

"Mmm something smells yummy!" Brooke said as she sauntered into the kitchen. She was dressed in a white tank top and a pair of light blue sweats.

"I have to agree," Chase said as he followed her. He too was wearing sweats, but was shirtless. "Wow Lucas can cook!"

"That's what I just said." Jake said from his spot at the kitchen table. He was giving Jenny her bottle and looked like he hadn't been out of bed long. He was dressed in a pair of basketball shorts. Brooke went over and looked at Jenny.

"Good morning cute little Jenny!" she said as Jenny gripped her finger in her hand. "Is your breakfast good?"

"It won't be as good as the food Lucas is making," Jake replied as Jenny coughed and brought some milk back. He grimaced as he said. "I still hate that sight."

"Let me get a cloth," Brooke said as she went to a drawer and pulled out a fresh kitchen towel. She then headed back to Jake and he took it from her. "Lucas what are you making that smells so yummy?"

"Thought I'd just make us all bacon, eggs and hash browns." he replied. He too was just dressed in a pair of sweats that Nathan had loaned him.

"Can you move in?" Brooke asked as she headed over to him. He grinned at her response as she did. "Do you need any help with anything?"

"I'm good," he told her as she appeared at his side. "You just sit yourself at the table and I'll bring it over when it's done."

"Okay then," Brooke replied before she brought her lips to his and kissed him deeply. "That'll do me for now."

"For a second there Brooke, I thought you'd hired a cook," Nathan said as he appeared in the kitchen. Haley wasn't far behind him. Nathan was also dressed in sweats and Haley wore a pair of Brooke's sweats and a tank top. Nathan sniffed the air appreciatively before he spoke again. "That smells awesome Luke."

"Thanks." Lucas replied with a chuckle.

"Haley go sit that butt of yours at the table." Nathan told her as he grinned at her.

"Okay," Haley replied as she headed over to the table. She sat down across from Brooke. She looked around the table at Jake and Chase as she said. "Morning."

"Morning Tutor Girl." Brooke said before she yawned.

"Morning Haley." Chase replied with a smile.

"Good morning," Jake told her as he finished feeding Jenny. He then looked at the baby. "Please don't throw up on me this time."

"Luke do you need any help?" Nathan asked.

"Uh, if you could sort the drinks out that would be great." Lucas replied from his spot at the stove.

"No problem." Nathan answered.

"I thought you said that you didn't want any help?" Brooke asked from her spot at the table.

"I didn't when you asked." he told her as he glanced over his shoulder and gave her a playful look.

"Maybe Luke knows just how catastrophic it would be if he let you lose in the kitchen." Nathan added as he chuckled.

"Hey!" Brooke said in mock offense. Lucas and Nathan shared a look as Lucas laughed at Nathan's comment.

"You know, it's good to see you two getting along and laughing and joking together." Haley told them as she looked over at them.

"I agree with Tutor Girl," Brooke added with a smile. "And it's also fun to watch you two work together in making breakfast for everyone."

"I'm not making, I'm pouring," Nathan corrected as he held up the coffee pot that had just finished brewing. "Lucas how do you know how to do all this?"

"From helping my mom in the café." he replied as he removed the eggs from the heat. He then scooped them all into a large serving bowl, before placing the pan to soak in the sink. He then repeated his actions with the bacon, before carrying the two dishes over to the table and placing them down.

"Well it's good to know that Brooke has someone looking out for her that can cook." Nathan said with a grin as he carried three cups of coffee over to the table. Lucas went to grab the other three before joining them all at the table.

"I agree with you Nathan," Brooke told him. "As much as you guys are awesome, your kitchen skills are worse than mine."

"Wow Lucas this tastes great!" Chase said as he began to eat his breakfast. Jake had to agree.

"It sure is," he said as he ate and bounced Jenny on his lap. "Why haven't we eaten at Karen's Café again?"

"Because Dan forbid us to," Nathan replied with a scowl. "We should start going there, because if the food is anything like this, we're definitely missing out."

"My mom's food is amazing," Lucas told them. "Especially her desserts."

"Oh my God, Karen makes the _best _desserts," Haley said in a dreamy tone. "You really should go and try them out. The only bad thing is deciding which one to try first."

"Would your mom make us some food for the party?" Brooke asked Lucas as the thought occurred to her.

"We can ask her and see what she says," Lucas replied. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"I'd pay her obviously." Brooke added.

"How are the preparations for the party coming along?" Jake asked Brooke.

"I'm honestly not sure," Brooke replied. "Rachel is picking the invitations up tomorrow after school, so we'll be handing them out on Tuesday. Then I guess I'll find out everyone's progress on their allocated areas."

"If you need any help in any of the other areas to what I'm doing just ask," Haley told her. "I have the plates and stuff on order and they should be here on Thursday."

"Really?" Brooke asked surprised. Haley nodded. "I like how organized you are Tutor Girl. How much were they? I'll go get you some money after I've finished this amazing food."

"We'll sort it when they arrive," Haley told her. "I'm good until then."

"Okay then." Brooke told her as she gave her a friendly smile.

"So what's going on with the costumes?" Chase asked. "Did you speak to the guy at the store?"

"I did," Brooke told him. "The guys' toga is a white one shoulder one and comes to the knee. There's a gold drapey part that comes over the left shoulder and hangs down a little way. Then there are gold colored fabric bands for each arm that are adjustable."

"Sounds good." Jake replied as he listened to the description.

"What about the girls' togas?" Haley asked.

"I chose one that is almost the same as the guys. It's the same style and color, but it comes to mid thigh. And we girls have a serpentine bangle to wear on the right arm. There's a gold colored trim on both styles of the toga too. And the sandals that come with the costumes are the same," Brooke told her. "I chose a girls one that would fit any size and shape."

"Good thinking," Haley replied. "I'm actually looking forward to this party."

"I think we all are." Nathan agreed, before they fell into silence as they continued to eat.

**~X~**

"Hey Lucas," Keith greeted as Lucas walked through the front door of his house. "Did you enjoy the get together at Brooke's?"

"Yeah it was good," Lucas said as he stood in the doorway. "Is mom around?"

"She's having a soak in the tub," Keith replied as he looked at him. "Why are you standing in the doorway?"

"Someone wants to see you," Lucas told him. "They need to ask your advice about something."

"Who is it?" Keith asked him. Lucas didn't reply. He just stepped to one side and let Nathan walk into the house. Keith's eyes widened in surprise. "Nathan?"

"That's me." Nathan replied sounding awkward. Lucas signaled for him to take a seat on the sofa as he closed the door.

"What's wrong Nathan?" Keith asked him as he sat down.

"Dan." Nathan replied with a frown.

"I should have known that was coming," Keith replied with a sigh. "What's Danny boy been up to now?"

"It's kind of a long story." Nathan replied feeling a little uncomfortable.

"Well I've got plenty of time to listen." Keith told him with a friendly smile. Nathan relaxed slightly then.

"I'll go and make us something to drink." Lucas said as he headed out of the lounge to give Nathan some privacy. Nathan was grateful as he began to explain everything to Keith.

**~X~**

"Hey mom," Lucas greeted as she came into the kitchen a little while later. He was sat at the kitchen table reading a book. "Did you enjoy your soak?"

"I did," she replied with a smile. "How come you're sat in here? Why don't you go and sit with Keith?"

"He's talking to Nathan," Lucas told her. Karen's eyebrows rose in surprise. "He needs some advice about Dan."

"Keith is the perfect person to ask about that," Karen said as she sat at the table with him. "So how are you and Nathan getting on now?"

"Pretty good actually," Lucas admitted in a surprised tone. "I made breakfast for everyone this morning and he helped."

"Really?" Karen asked in a shocked tone. Lucas nodded in response.

"It was kind of surreal," Lucas admitted as he closed his book after marking his page. "And Brooke and Haley are getting along great too."

"It sounds like something good has definitely come out of this whole time capsule fiasco," Karen said as she smiled. Lucas smiled back in response. "I hope these changes are permanent too."

"So do I," Lucas agreed. He smiled as he continued. "It's nice to finally have a normal life at school, instead of it being made hell."

"Why do I get the feeling that that isn't the only reason why you're smiling?" Karen asked with a slight laugh. Lucas blushed as he couldn't help smiling.

"It isn't." he admitted as Karen smiled at his reaction.

"Does it have anything to do with Brooke Davis?" Karen asked. She had had a hunch that Lucas had been having more than friendly feelings towards the brunette for a while now. It had become stronger when she had seen them together at breakfast the previous day.

"Yeah it does." Lucas replied quietly as he continued to smile.

"Should I be worried?" Karen asked him in a concerned tone.

"Huh?" Lucas asked as he stopped smiling and frowned. "Why did you ask that?"

"I'm going to be honest with you Lucas," Karen began. Lucas's frown deepened. "I've heard people talking about Brooke and the things I've heard haven't been particularly nice."

"What have they been saying?" Lucas asked as his protective mode kicked in. Karen heard it in his tone.

"That she's not very choosy on whom she shares her bed with," Karen told him. "People have seen different boys going to her house and they don't leave until the next morning."

"And people automatically assumed that Brooke was sleeping with them," Lucas said in an angry tone. Karen was surprised. "They couldn't be more wrong mom. The boys they've seen going there have been Nathan, Jake, Chase, Clay, Julian and Owen. And they've been going there to make sure that she's okay because her parents are too busy on their travels to remember that they even have a daughter. They don't care if she's okay or not. Jake goes there with Jenny so that he can get his homework done. You should see Brooke with her mom, she's awesome."

"And you know that for a fact?" Karen asked him.

"Yes mom I do," Lucas replied with a sigh. "The only one of the guys Brooke has slept with is Nathan."

"Seriously?" Karen asked him.

"Yes mom!" Lucas insisted.

"And where exactly did you sleep when you stayed over at Brooke's last night?" Karen asked him. Lucas shifted uncomfortably.

"I slept in Brooke's bed with Brooke," Lucas mumbled. Karen's eyes went wide in alarm. "We didn't do anything mom. I just held her so that she could sleep."

"And that's _all_ that happened?" Karen asked in a doubtful tone.

"Yes mom!" Lucas insisted. He was glad that he and Brooke hadn't done more than kiss the previous night. "We kissed but that was it."

"Can't Brooke sleep on her own?" Karen asked curious.

"I don't think so." Lucas replied quietly. Karen frowned in concern at his tone.

"Lucas, what is it?" Karen asked him. "I know that there's something bothering you."

"I don't know the full details yet mom, but something bad happened to Brooke last year," Lucas began quietly. "I don't know what it was exactly, but the guys were there for her after. And that's why they go to check on her."

"Seriously?" Karen asked in a shocked voice. Lucas nodded.

"She said she's going to tell me at some point," Lucas continued. "She's just not ready to tell me yet."

"So people are wrong about Brooke then?" Karen asked him softly.

"Yes mom they are," Lucas replied. "The rumors are just that. Rumors. And they really hurt her mom. I hate how people judge her because somebody started spreading lies about her."

"I have to admit when we met her yesterday she surprised me," Karen told him. "Especially when you told me that she knew about your heart condition and she said that she makes sure you're up to date with your meds. She's not how I thought she would be."

"She's the complete opposite to what people say she is," Lucas told her. "I just wish they wouldn't judge her because of gossip."

"I promise that I won't do that anymore. I admit that I did believe the rumors before I met her," Karen told him. "But as I said, she surprised me."

"Thanks mom." Lucas told her as he smiled. He was glad that she wasn't going to believe the gossip anymore.

"Just promise me that you'll have a talk with your Uncle Keith before things get serious between you and Brooke. I don't want the two of you getting carried away and then you tell me that Brooke's pregnant." Karen told him. Lucas's eyes almost fell out of his head.

"Mom!" he said in an alarmed voice. "Are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack?"

"Lucas, it won't hurt you to have a chat with your Uncle Keith," Karen told him. "The other choice is having a chat with me."

"I'll talk to Uncle Keith." Lucas said with a sigh. It would be embarrassing enough for him to talk to Keith about that subject. It would be mortifying if it was with his mother.

"Make sure that you do," Karen told him. "And make sure that you do it before this party that's going to be happening at Brooke's house."

"About the party, is it okay if I stay over there that night?" Lucas asked. "There will be others staying over there too."

"As long as you talk to your Uncle Keith, I'll think about it," Karen told him as she stood. Lucas groaned inwardly at her answer. "Do you want something to drink?"

**~X~**

"How did it go with Uncle Keith?" Lucas asked Nathan as they went into Lucas's bedroom a little later that day.

"Pretty good," Nathan replied as he closed the door. "I told him what Dan was like and that I'd had enough. I told him what my mom was like too and how Dan has been acting towards Brooke just lately."

"What did he say?" Lucas asked as they both sat on his bed.

"He told me the options that I had," Nathan replied. "The best one was emancipation."

"Wow, really?" Lucas asked in surprise. Nathan nodded.

"That way I can cut all ties with my parents and won't have Dan telling me what to do," Nathan told him. "I just have to prove that I can support myself financially and have to find a place to live. _That_ should be fun."

"Won't staying at Brooke's count as that?" Lucas asked.

"I don't think so," Nathan replied. "Brooke's parents don't even know that I'm there."

"It would be funny if they came back one night and found you in their room." Lucas said as he laughed.

"Not for me it wouldn't." Nathan replied as he too laughed.

"So is Uncle Keith going to look into this emancipation thing for you?" Lucas asked curious.

"He said he would ask a lawyer friend of his on how we go about it," Nathan told him. "But it looks like the first thing I have to do is be living away from home. And I have to do that before I file for emancipation as well as getting a job."

"I think I can help with the job," Lucas told him. Nathan looked at him curious. "Promise me that you won't laugh."

"Okay." Nathan replied with a slight smile.

"There's a vacancy going at the store I work in at the mall." Lucas told him.

"Which store is that?" Nathan asked curious.

"Body Central." Lucas replied in a mumble.

"That's where Brooke gets her clothes from isn't it?" Nathan asked with a smile. Lucas nodded. "Do you get to go in the dressing rooms and help the girls with their clothes?"

"Sometimes," Lucas replied. Nathan gave him an incredulous look. "Some of them don't seem to get the right size and get stuck."

"You _do_ realize that all the guys in our year would be so jealous of you if they heard that right?" Nathan asked with a grin. "And they'd seriously employ another guy?"

"My boss told me that the ladies asked for another male employee, so she told me to let her know if I could think of a suitable candidate," Lucas told him. "I think you're a suitable candidate."

"What do you have to wear to work?" Nathan asked.

"Dress pants, shirt and tie," Lucas told him. "The pay is pretty good too. I'm working on Tuesday if you want to come in and I'll let Ruby know."

"Ruby?" Nathan asked curious.

"My boss." Lucas replied.

"She'll be flexible with me having to go to practice and games right?" Nathan asked.

"She might. You'll have to ask." Lucas told him.

"Thanks for helping me Luke," Nathan said suddenly changing the subject. "I appreciate it, especially after how I treated you."

"It's what brothers do right?" Lucas asked in response. Nathan looked at Lucas's face and Lucas could see a hint of surprise on his face.

"Yeah it is," Nathan replied. He paused before he added. "Bro."

**~X~**

"Hey Nate," Brooke greeted brightly as he walked into the lounge of her house. Brooke was sat on the sofa flicking through the channels. "How did things go at Luke's?"

"Pretty good," Nathan replied as he sat on the sofa beside her. "I called him bro."

"You did?" Brooke asked in an incredulous tone. Nathan nodded. "That's great! You guys have made more progress in this past week than you have in eighteen years."

"And it's all down to someone leaking the time capsule," Nathan replied. "I don't think that I would be trying to get away from Dan if it hadn't been for that."

"Did you find anything out about how you do that yet?" Brooke asked him.

"Well to start I have to get an official place to live and a job," Nathan told her. "Lucas is going to ask at that store you spend all your dads' money in."

"Really?" Brooke asked. Nathan nodded and Brooke grinned as she said. "I'll have to go shopping on a day when you're both working and you can both be my personal shoppers."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Nathan asked as he raised his eyebrows. "You won't be able to put on a show for Lucas and then have some hot sex."

"You have a point there," Brooke said as she frowned. "I have to say one thing. You Scott guys certainly have the skills to satisfy a girl."

"We do huh?" Nathan asked playfully as he laughed. Brooke nodded and smiled.

"I'm glad I have Lucas to satisfy my needs now." Brooke told him as her smile grew bigger.

"I take it I'm now redundant in that area?" Nathan asked sounding slightly disappointed.

"You sure are," Brooke told him. "You want Tutor Girl, who you are sort of seeing anyway, and it wouldn't be fair to her for us to carry on our little agreement."

"You're right," Nathan said as he sighed. Brooke looked at him curious. "I'm kinda horny. I haven't had any since our last session together on Friday. I can't remember the last time I had to go this long without sex."

"Nathan it's only Sunday." Brooke told him with a laugh.

"And your point is?" Nathan asked as he frowned. "Brooke can we have one last benefit session before we call it quits?"

"I don't know Nathan," Brooke told him. "It wouldn't be fair to Haley _or_ Lucas."

"Please Brooke!" Nathan asked as he gave her a pleading look. "Just one last time?"

"Nathan, I'm about to watch a movie!" Brooke told him in a whine.

"You've seen it before!" he told her as he switched the television off. "Brooke do you want me to get down on my knees and beg?"

"That would be amusing to see," Brooke told him with a grin. She then got a thoughtful look on her face and was quiet for a few moments. "If I say yes will it stop you whining and pouting like that?"

"Yes," Nathan told her honestly. "And I promise that I will never ask you to have sex with me ever again unless we're both single at some point in the future."

"Okay then," Brooke said as she stood. "But this is the last time and nobody finds out about it."

"Deal." Nathan said as he grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her towards the doorway.

**~X~**

"Mom can I ask you something?" Lucas asked Karen as he headed into the lounge. She and Keith were cuddled together on the sofa.

"Sure you can." Karen replied as she looked over at him.

"Do you want me to give you some privacy?" Keith asked. Lucas shook his head.

"No it's okay," Lucas told him. "It kind of involves you."

"What is it Lucas?" Karen asked him.

"You know how Nathan needs a place to stay before he can get emancipated?" Lucas began. Karen and Keith both nodded. "What if he came to live here?"

"_What_?" Karen asked in complete shock. That had been the last thing that she thought she would here Lucas say about Nathan. Keith too was stunned.

"We have a spare room," Lucas pointed out. "We need to help him to get away from Dan."

"I'm shocked Lucas," Karen finally managed to say. "I never thought you would ask me anything like this."

"Neither did I," Lucas admitted as he laughed slightly. "But Nathan and I have worked through our differences now."

"In a couple of days?" Karen asked skeptically.

"Yeah," Lucas replied sounding surprised himself. "We talked through a lot of stuff when we were in my room earlier. None of the crap he put me through would have happened if he hadn't been under Dan's control."

"You seem pretty insistent about helping him Luke." Keith said as he and Karen shared a look.

"That's because he's my brother," Lucas replied. He saw the impressed look on Keith's face and the proud look on his mothers. They were both tinged with surprise too. "And he'll have a job so he won't need any money from us."

"Where is he going to work?" Keith asked curious.

"With me at the mall," Lucas told him. "I'm sure that once Ruby sees him she'll set him on straight away."

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind Nathan living here Lucas?" Karen asked in a concerned tone.

"Mom I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise," Lucas told her. "Nathan's had crappy parents his whole life. It'll be good for him to be around one's that are awesome."

"If flattery is your way of bribing us please carry on." Karen told him with a smile. Keith smiled too as did Lucas.

"It's not bribery, it's the truth," Lucas told her. He then took a deep breath and said. "I'm going to tell him about my HCM too."

"Are you sure?" Karen asked concerned. She was shocked yet again. Lucas had always been insistent about the least amount of people knowing about that.

"What if it runs on Dan's side of the family?" Lucas asked. "Nathan could have it. I'm sure Dan would be overjoyed with that news. He'd probably make Nathan carry on his basketball training regardless."

"If you want to tell Nathan about your HCM, that's entirely your choice Lucas," Karen told him. "As for Nathan moving in here, it'll be something me and your Uncle Keith will need to discuss."

"If it's okay with Lucas and you honey, I'll be perfectly happy to allow Nathan to stay here," Keith told her. "He's my nephew and he needs help."

"Mom please." Lucas said softly. Karen turned to look at her son as she debated.

"Okay," she relented. "Nathan can come and stay here if he wants to."

"Thanks mom," Lucas said as he smiled. "You'll be surprised when you start to get to know him. He's not the ass I thought he was."

"I hope he isn't." Karen replied.

"I'm gonna go and give him a call." Lucas said as he headed back to his bedroom. Karen and Keith shared a stunned look before they tried to turn their attention back to the movie they had been watching.

**~X~**

"Nathan stop!" Brooke gasped out as she pulled her lips away from his. They were involved in a heated make out session on her bed. However, they were both still fully clothed. He looked down at her as his chest heaved.

"What's wrong?" he asked with a concerned frown.

"I can't do this," she told him as she looked up into his eyes. "It doesn't feel right."

"Oh," Nathan replied as he moved off her and sat up. Brooke sat up at the same time. "Is this because of what happened in the alley?"

"No Nathan," Brooke told him softly. "This is about Lucas and Haley."

"Is it?" Nathan asked in surprise.

"Yes," Brooke said with a sigh. "I can't have sex with you because it wouldn't be fair to them. You're supposed to be building the foundations of a relationship with her Nathan."

"I know," Nathan said with a sigh as he wiped his hand over his face and sighed. He felt guilty for kissing Brooke and suggesting that they have one last time together. "I'm already making a mess of it huh?"

"Not if you take yourself off to the bathroom and help yourself to images of Haley," Brooke told him with a smile. He smiled and shook his head in return. "I'm sorry I led you on Nathan."

"You didn't. I was the one leading," Nathan told her softly. "You can tell me to mind my own business if you want, but do you want a proper relationship with Lucas?"

"Yeah I do," Brooke admitted. "I've never had anything like that before Nathan. I want to know what it's like to have a steady boyfriend and to go on dates and stuff like that. I'm just scared that he won't want that when he finds out what happened."

"Brooke, I have a feeling that Lucas will want you even after you tell him about that night," Nathan told her reassuringly. She gave him a grateful smile in response. "Me and him talked and he really cares for you."

"I hope you're right." Brooke replied as Nathan's cell phone rang out. He leaned over and picked it up from the night stand. He swallowed guiltily as he saw that it was Lucas calling.

"Hey Luke," he greeted as he put the phone to his ear. "What can I do you for?"

"_Hey Nate. I have a solution to your living arrangements._" Lucas told him.

"You do?" Nathan asked sounding surprised as he looked at Brooke. "What is it?"

"_We have a spare room here,"_ Lucas replied. Nathan's jaw dropped in shock at what he heard. "_I already asked my mom and Uncle Keith and they said they'd be happy to have you stay."_

"They did?" Nathan asked completely stunned.

"_Yeah_," Lucas confirmed with a slight laugh. _"What do you think?"_

"I'm shocked," Nathan admitted. Brooke looked at him curious. "That was the last thing I was expecting."

"_I think my mom was the same when I asked her about it_," Lucas told him. "_Like I said we have a spare room. And it could be a plus to your emancipation, especially with Keith being related."_

"You're right," Nathan agreed. "That might look good if I live with my Uncle and my brother."

"_So what do you say?"_ Lucas asked.

"Sure, I'll come and stay with you," Nathan said as he gave Brooke an incredulous look. She had a wide smile on her face from hearing Nathan call Lucas his brother. "When do you want me to move in?"

"_Actually, before you do that, there's something I need to talk to you about,"_ Lucas told him. "_It's pretty important._"

"Well we'll talk tomorrow at school," Nathan told him. "Is that okay?"

"_I think it would be best if this talk wasn't done at school._" Lucas replied.

"How about I come over there now?" Nathan asked.

"_Sure that would be good,_" Lucas told him. _"You can bring Brooke over as well if you want._"

"Let me just ask her," Nathan replied. "Brooke do you want to come over to Luke's with me?"

"I sure do," Brooke said in a happy tone. She then took the phone from Nathan. "We'll be over in about ten minutes Lucas. Is that okay?"

"_Sure it is." _Lucas told her.

"See you soon Broody!" Brooke replied before she ended the call. She then looked at Nathan. "I'm just gonna quickly get changed. I can smell your cologne or whatever all over me."

"Be quick!" Nathan told her as she hopped off the bed. "You did tell Lucas ten minutes and not ten hours!"

"Shut up Hot Shot!" Brooke replied before she disappeared into her closet. Nathan chuckled before he quickly left the room to change his own clothes.

**~X~**

"Hey Hales." Nathan greeted with a smile as he and Brooke headed into Lucas's bedroom.

"Hey Nathan." Haley greeted in response. She had a wide smile on her face as she did.

"Hi Luke." Brooke said as she sat beside him.

"Hi Brooke." Lucas responded with a happy smile.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Nathan asked curious. "You sounded pretty serious on the phone."

"It's pretty serious what I need to tell you." Lucas replied with a sigh. Brooke and Haley shared a look. Brooke's expression changed to a questioning one and Haley nodded.

"Is that why you have Haley here too?" Nathan asked quietly. He could tell that Lucas was nervous.

"Yeah," Lucas admitted as he took a deep breath. "I have a medical condition that is genetic. We looked into the family medical history on my mom's side and it wasn't from there."

"What?" Nathan asked before Lucas could say anything else. He had a shocked look on his face. Brooke and Haley sat in silence. "What kind of condition?"

"A heart condition," Lucas replied. "It's called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. It means my heart is thickened and I have to take medication."

"Oh my God!" Nathan murmured as he processed what Lucas had told him. "So that means if it's not from your mom's side, it's from Dan's side."

"It does," Lucas told him. "Uncle Keith got tested and he doesn't have it. They tried telling Dan but he didn't want to listen."

"That sounds about right for him," Nathan said as he frowned. "So if he has it that means that I could have it too."

"It does." Lucas told him.

"So what does your medication do?" Nathan asked.

"Stops me from having a heart attack," Lucas told him. "I'm also not allowed to exercise much or do anything too strenuous."

"Damn," Nathan mumbled. "How long have you known about it?"

"The doctors discovered it before I started kindergarten," Lucas replied. "They advised other members of my family be tested for it too. That's when my mom and Uncle Keith tried to tell Dan but he didn't want to hear anything that they had to say."

"So I could have this thing that you have and he didn't want to listen?" Nathan asked as his frown deepened. He shook his head as he did. "Figures. He's more interested in basketball than my health."

"Nathan you should get yourself checked out at a doctor," Brooke told him. "I didn't know it was genetic."

"You knew already?" Nathan asked her in a surprised tone.

"Yeah," Brooke replied. "I promised Lucas that I wouldn't say anything to anyone. And you more than know when I say that I mean it."

"I know," Nathan replied softly. He then looked at Lucas. "You think I could get an appointment with your doc?"

"Why don't we call him tomorrow and see?" Lucas suggested.

"This week is going to be hell for me," Nathan said with a sigh. He then looked at Brooke. "Maybe it's a good thing that we're having the party."

"Yeah you're right." Brooke said quietly. They were then silent for a few moments.

"Why don't you show me the room I'll be staying in?" Nathan said as he broke out of his trance from staring at the floor. His thoughts were beginning to get a bit much for him.

"You're staying _here_?" Haley asked in a shocked voice as she looked at Nathan.

"Yeah. Well I will be," Nathan replied. "My brother here is helping me out."

"Wow," Haley said in a stunned toned as Brooke smiled widely. "We really should have done a time capsule when we were six."

"It's not just the time capsule Hales." Lucas told her.

"Lucas is helping me with some stuff," Nathan told her. "I'm seeing about getting emancipated."

"Really?" Haley asked surprised. Nathan nodded. "Wow."

"I know." Brooke said in an impressed tone. There was then more moments of silence.

"I thought you were supposed to be showing Nathan his room?" Haley asked as she pulled a playful face at Lucas.

"Yeah so did I." Brooke said with a chuckle.

"I'm going," Lucas told her in a playful tone as he gave her the same look back. "Come on Nate let's leave these two in here so they don't gang up on us anymore."

"I like that idea." Nathan said as he and Lucas quickly left the bedroom. Nathan shut the door and Lucas quickly locked it. They both chuckled as they headed down the hallway.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you for all the lovely reviews. What happened to Brooke is going to be revealed eventually. Hope you all enjoy this update.**

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><p>"Hey Nathan!" Lucas called down the school hallway the next morning. Nathan turned round in response and he and Brooke waited on Lucas and Haley catching them up. Jimmy Edwards watched from his spot at his locker.<p>

"What's up bro?" Nathan asked causing a few of the students to give him a shocked look.

"My mom arranged that thing for you," Lucas said as he handed him a post it note. "That's what time you have to be there."

"She managed to get me one for today?" Nathan asked in surprise.

"Well when she explained everything, he gave you an emergency one," Lucas told him. "And the best part is you're covered on the medical insurance Dan currently pays."

"Even better," Nathan said as he laughed. He then frowned as he said. "It's the least he can pay for. Hey where did the girls go?"

"Uh, over there," Lucas said as he pointed over to Brooke's locker. They were looking at something that was in a catalogue. "I think it's pretty cool how they're friends now."

"Me too," Nathan agreed. "Listen, will you come with me for this appointment?"

"Sure I will." Lucas told him.

"I'm gonna ask Brooke and Haley to come too," Nathan told him as they headed over to Brooke's locker. "I need all the support I can get I think."

"You're gonna ask us to come where?" Haley asked.

"My appointment," Nathan told her. "I need support."

"Sure we'll come," Brooke told him as she grinned at Lucas. "Haley can hold your hand for you Nate."

"That would be good," Nathan said as he wrapped an arm around Haley's shoulders. Haley smiled widely in response. A few girls spotted his action and quickly began gossiping. "So what are you two so engrossed in looking at?"

"I was showing Haley the costumes that we're having for the party," Brooke told him. "Do you want to see?"

"Uh okay," Nathan replied in a hesitant tone. Brooke handed him the brochure and Haley pointed to the costumes. "God I'm gonna look like a girl!"

"We all will," Lucas told him with a laugh. Jimmy watched the exchange between them with hatred in his eyes. "So you won't be alone Nathan."

"Thankfully," he said as he handed the brochure back to Brooke. "I remembered something after I left yours last night Luke."

"What?" Lucas asked curious.

"Dan is going to some business thing tonight, so it will be a good time for me to get the rest of my stuff from there." Nathan told him.

"We can go after your appointment right?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah he should be on his way to the place then," Nathan replied. "He usually stays overnight as well."

"We should trash the place." Brooke said as she shoved the brochure into her locker, along with her bag. She then took out the books she would need for first period and Lucas held them while she closed the door.

"Trash what place?" Jake asked as he went to his own locker that was just a few away from Brooke's.

"My place," Nathan told him. "I'm moving out so it would be my way of saying good riddance."

"Dude do you really want to do that?" Jake asked him. "That's not a good idea. Dan will be super pissed and then he'd probably make it extremely difficult for you to get away."

"Jake has a point." Haley agreed.

"Yeah you're right," Nathan said as he realized that would be what would happen. He then changed the subject. "Would you like an escort to your locker Haley?"

"I would love one if you're offering." she replied.

"I am." he confirmed as he grinned.

"Lead the way then." Haley told him. The two of them then walked over towards Haley's locker. Nathan still had his arm around her shoulders and several female students who were watching were slack jawed with surprise.

"Now I'm done with my locker, shall we head over to yours?" Brooke asked as she took her books back from Lucas.

"We better, because I'll be late for class otherwise." Lucas replied with a chuckle.

The two of them then headed to Lucas's locker which was merely a few away from hers. He quickly opened it, threw his bag in and grabbed his books before closing it and turning back to Brooke. She then surprised him by going up on her tiptoes to kiss him. He heard several shocked gasps from their fellow students. He had to stop himself from getting too involved with the kiss as he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of everybody.

"What was that for?" Lucas asked in surprise when Brooke pulled back.

"Can't I just kiss you when I feel like it?" she asked him in response.

"You sure can," Lucas told her as she moved to his side and linked her fingers through his. They then began to head towards their class. "I asked my mom about staying over at yours the night of the party."

"What did she say?" Brooke asked curious.

"She said that before she'll think about it, I have to have a _talk_ with my Uncle Keith." Lucas said as he pulled an unimpressed face.

"About what?" Brooke asked him.

"Sex," Lucas answered as he looked at her and shook his head. Brooke giggled at both his expression and what he had said. "I'm going to be mortified. But I suppose it's better than having it with her. That was my other option."

"Poor you," Brooke told him. "Are you going to tell him that you already know how to be pretty damn amazing at that particular thing?"

"Hell no," Lucas replied. "That would make it even worse."

"I hope your mom does let you sleepover," Brooke told him as they headed into the classroom. "I have plans for you that night."

"Oh you do huh?" he asked as they went over to the desks.

"I do," Brooke told him. "Lucas you sit in Nathan's seat so you're next to me. Nathan can have yours and be next to Haley. I'm sure he won't mind."

"No I won't," Nathan said from behind them. "Good thinking Brooke."

"I can just imagine Mr. Kellerman's face when he sees you sat over on the non slacker's side." Haley said with a chuckle.

"He'll probably bust my ass about it," Nathan told him. "He's always got to bust my ass about something in this class."

"Well you might just surprise him," Brooke said. "After all Tutor Girl has been teaching you extra curricular stuff."

"And some of it wasn't on the school curriculum either." Nathan said with a grin. Lucas and Brooke laughed as Haley playfully nudged him before heading over to her seat.

**~X~**

"Were you nervous before you had to have your tests done?" Nathan asked Lucas as they, Brooke and Haley sat in the waiting room at the doctor's for Nathan's appointment.

"I don't really remember," Lucas told him. "I was too young. I guess that's a good thing in a way."

"Yeah you're probably right," Nathan replied. "I just hope that there are not too many needles. I'm not good with them."

"Me neither." Lucas told him.

"You'll be fine," Brooke assured him. "If you get freaked out, just picture Haley naked."

"What?" Haley asked as she looked at Brooke who giggled in response.

"If I'm on an ECG that would probably make the doctors suspicious," Nathan replied. "Because that wouldn't calm me down in the slightest."

"Why not?" Haley asked in a slightly offended tone.

"You seriously just asked that?" Nathan asked her in a shocked tone. "Me picturing a hot naked girl will only get me worked up."

"Oh I get it now," Haley replied. "Sorry."

"Nathan Scott," a nurse called into the waiting area. Nathan stood up and took a deep breath. "Follow me please."

"Luke, will you come in with me?" Nathan asked in a hesitant tone.

"Sure." Lucas said as he stood.

"We'll wait out here." Brooke told him as she gave him a reassuring smile.

"Good luck Nathan." Haley told him.

"Thanks." he replied as he and Lucas followed the nurse down the hallway and through a door. Brooke and Haley shared a look and took in a deep steadying breath.

**~X~**

"God it seems like he's been in there forever." Haley said to Brooke as she paced back and forth in the waiting area.

"It does," Brooke agreed as she watched her. "You really like him don't you?"

"I do," Haley admitted as she continued to pace. "I hope that he doesn't have it. I know how hard it's been on Luke and I don't want that for Nathan."

"As much as Dan has pushed him to play basketball for his entire life, Nathan loves the game," Brooke told her. "I'd hate for him to have to give that dream up."

"Me too," Haley told her. Brooke got a surprised look on her face. "He told me that his dream is to play in the NBA."

"It is," Brooke confirmed. "I just hope that he gets a negative result with the tests."

"Me too," Haley said as she burst into tears. "I'm sorry."

"Hey it's okay," Brooke told her as she got out of her seat and went over to her. She embraced Haley in a comforting hug. "Don't cry Tutor Girl."

"I'm sorry," Haley repeated as she held onto Brooke. "I can't help it."

"It's because you really care for Nathan," Brooke told her as she rubbed her back soothingly. She then confessed. "I would be the same if it was Lucas."

"Really?" Haley asked as she pulled away from Brooke and looked at her in shock.

"Yeah." Brooke admitted as she blushed slightly.

"You don't need to be embarrassed Brooke," Haley told her. "I think it's great that you feel like that about Lucas."

"You do?" Brooke asked sounding surprised.

"Yeah," Haley told her as she smiled and wiped at her eyes. "He _really_ likes you Brooke and he's a great guy. You won't have to worry about him hurting you."

"That's good to know." Brooke said as she smiled.

"Can I ask you a question?" Haley asked.

"I suppose you can." Brooke told her playfully.

"You can tell me that it's none of my business if you want," Haley told her. "It's just I don't really have any girl friends that I can ask."

"Fire away Haley." Brooke told her.

"I don't really have any guy experience," she began sounding awkward. "And I don't want to look a complete idiot in front of Nathan if or when we take that next step."

"I see," Brooke said as she guided Haley back over to the seats and they sat down. She felt honored that Haley was asking her advice on something so personal. "How much experience do you have exactly?"

"Kissing Nathan," Haley replied. She took a deep breath before she said. "And I slept with Lucas."

"Slept as in _slept_ slept?" Brooke asked. Haley nodded. "Wow. When?"

"The day you took his virginity." Haley murmured.

"Oh," Brooke said in surprise. She then grinned as she added. "I bet Lucas thought that he was such a stud that day huh?"

"That's what I said," Haley said as she laughed. She then turned serious again as she asked. "So back to my question that I was going to ask. What does Nathan like in bed?"

"Anything that makes him feel good," Brooke replied with a smile. "I have an idea. When Nathan is all moved into Lucas's house, we can have a girly sleep over and I'll tell you exactly what he likes."

"Can we have it before the party?" Haley asked.

"I take it you have plans for Nathan at the party then?" Brooke asked as she kinked her eyebrow.

"I'm hoping that we'll take the next step then." Haley told her nervously.

"Well how about we have our sleepover tomorrow night?" Brooke suggested.

"Sure, I'd like that." Haley told her.

"Be at my place at about seven," Brooke told her. "Bring a notebook or something."

"I take it he likes a lot of stuff?" Haley asked a little surprised. Brooke nodded. They were then distracted by footsteps coming towards them. They looked up and saw Nathan and Lucas heading their way.

"How did it go?" Brooke asked as she and Haley hastily stood and Nathan and Lucas approached them.

"Good," Nathan told her. "My ECG and echocardiogram showed that my heart is normal. I don't have it. But they took some blood for testing to double check."

"That's great." Brooke said as she and Haley smiled. Haley was a little speechless.

"It is," Nathan said in response as he smiled widely. He then went over to Haley and enveloped her in a hug. "I've been waiting to do this since I went in the room."

"Me too." Haley admitted as she held him tightly as Brooke went over to Lucas and hugged him.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but what did I do to deserve this?" Lucas asked softly as he relished the feel of her arms around him.

"Can't I just hug you when I want to?" Brooke asked. Lucas chuckled as he realized she had said almost the same thing in school.

"You sure can," he replied with a smile as they all ended their embraces. "So are we going to go and get your things Nathan?"

"Yeah, now should be a good time. Dan would have left by now," Nathan replied. He then looked at Haley. "You wanna ride with me?"

"Sure." Haley replied with a smile as Nathan wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they headed towards the exit.

"Good thing I have a car huh?" Brooke asked Lucas as they followed them hand in hand.

**~X~**

"God look at the size of this place." Lucas said as they walked into Dan's house.

"It is big," Haley agreed. "Although it's not as big as Brooke's place."

"That's why Brooke's place is party central." Nathan said as he grinned.

"Plus I never seem to have parents around." Brooke added.

"There's that as well." Nathan agreed.

"So we're we starting?" Lucas asked.

"My room," Nathan replied. "All my stuff should be in there, unless Dan has moved it."

"Let's go get you packed." Brooke said as she led Haley up the stairs. Nathan and Lucas shared a look.

"Let's make sure that neither of the girls is left alone," Nathan said quietly to his brother. "Just in case Dan turns up."

"Good idea." Lucas agreed as he followed Nathan up the staircase. They got to the top and walked along to Nathan's room. They went in and found Brooke and Haley in the process of packing his clothes into suitcases.

"Damn you two are fast." Nathan said in surprise.

"Well the sooner we get you out of here the better," Brooke told him. "Then we can get you settled at Luke's and celebrate your first step of freedom from Dan Scott."

"I agree with Brooke." Haley said.

"I think it's pretty awesome how you two are getting real close all of a sudden." Nathan said to Brooke and Haley.

"We're having a sleepover tomorrow," Brooke told him. "Just me and Haley."

"I'd _love_ to be a fly on the wall in your room tomorrow night." Nathan said in a dreamy tone causing Lucas to laugh.

"You are so pervy sometimes," Brooke told him as she shook her head. She then looked at Haley and added. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into Tutor Girl."

"Don't worry I do," Haley replied with a laugh. She then looked at Nathan and playfully added. "Get packing. We're not your servant girls."

"It would be pretty awesome if you were," Nathan said with a smirk. Lucas chuckled at his reply. "I'd make you both wear _really_ sexy wench outfits or maybe maid ones."

"You carry on talking like that and we're out of here." Brooke told him as she placed her hands on her hips and kinked her eyebrow.

"I'll behave," Nathan replied. He then frowned as he asked. "Luke will your mom let me have girls stay over in my room?"

"I-" he began but was cut off by Haley.

"Girls?" she asked as she mimicked Brooke's pose.

"Let me rephrase that," Nathan said. "Will your mom let Haley stay over in my room?"

"Much better." Haley told him.

"I'm really not sure," Lucas replied as he laughed. "She's let Haley stay over in my room, but she might not let her stay over in yours."

"This is going to suck having rules to stick to that way," Nathan said with a sigh. "But it's getting me away from Dan, so I think I can stick to them."

"I'm not exactly sure what my mom's rules will be about that," Lucas told him. "I've never had the need for them before."

"I see." Nathan replied as he and Lucas began to empty Nathan's drawers.

"And I have to have the dreaded talk with Uncle Keith tonight," Lucas said in a quiet voice so that only Nathan could hear. "I'm really not looking forward to it."

"Rather you than me bro," Nathan replied back in the same low tone. He then frowned as he had a thought. "Damn will I have to have one of those if I want Haley to stay over?"

"Probably." Lucas said as he sniggered to himself.

"What are you two whispering about?" Brooke asked curious.

"Nothing." they replied in unison. Brooke and Haley then shared a doubtful look before they continued with the packing.

**~X~**

"Do we really have to do this?" Lucas asked with a sigh as Keith closed his bedroom door.

"If you want to stay over at Brooke's house again then yes," Keith told him as he sat in the chair at Lucas's desk. Lucas sat on his bed feeling extremely uncomfortable. "I'm actually surprised that we've not had to have this conversation before now."

"I'm glad we haven't had to have this conversation yet," Lucas replied. "I take it you have it all worked out what you're going to say?"

"I thought I had, but now I'm not so sure." Keith confessed. Surprisingly, it comforted Lucas to know that Keith seemed uncomfortable with the subject too.

"Can't you just stay in here for a while and then tell my mom that we talked?" Lucas asked hopefully.

"No I can't," Keith told him. "I don't want to lie to your mother."

"So where do you want to start?" Lucas asked with a sigh. He just wanted it over with.

"I'm going to ask you a blunt question to start," Keith told him. Lucas pulled an unimpressed expression. "Are you sexually active?"

"You're right, that is blunt," Lucas replied. He was quiet for a few moments before he took a deep breath and asked. "How often does it have to happen to be classed as active?"

"Lucas just answer the question." Keith told him as he held back his laughter.

"Yes I am." he replied in a mumble. However, Keith heard his answer.

"With Brooke?" Keith found himself asking.

"Uh yeah," Lucas replied. He then decided that he should be completely honest with him. "And Haley."

"_Haley_?" Keith asked in shock. "I thought your relationship was completely platonic?"

"It is," Lucas replied. "The day the time capsule was released, she asked me to give her some guy experience. I told her that I couldn't because it would be weird and then she told me that if I didn't do it she'd go and find someone else who would and that they could turn out to be a psycho. So in the end I agreed."

"I hope you were careful." Keith told him.

"We were," he replied in an embarrassed tone. "We used condoms."

"What about when you're with Brooke?" Keith asked.

"We were safe." Lucas told him.

"So you know how to put them on?" Keith asked. Lucas gave him a slightly alarmed look.

"Yeah," he mumbled, just wishing that the conversation was over. "Brooke showed me how to."

"That's good," Keith told him sounding relieved. "Your mother wanted to make sure that you know how to do that. She even suggested I show you with the aid of a banana."

"Thank God I know how to put them on," Lucas said as he frowned. He then laughed as he said. "Because that would have just been completely weird and awkward!"

"Very awkward," Keith added. He then said. "As you can probably tell, I'm a little uncomfortable talking about sex and that's because my parents never talked with me about it. But I want us to be able to talk about anything, including sex, so please come to me if you have any questions. And if I don't know the answer, I'll try and find out. And if you want a girl's perspective, your mom says that you can always go to her. But if that's too awkward for you, you can ask me and then I'll ask her on your behalf."

"Thanks Uncle Keith," Lucas replied, genuinely grateful. "So is that it done with now?"

"I think so," Keith told him. "Your mom wanted to make sure that you knew how to use contraception and you do. Can I just ask if you've been careful every single time?"

"There was one time where we didn't have a condom, but Brooke went to the pharmacy and got the morning after pill right away. She took it before we even left the store, so there's nothing to worry about there."

"I guess that's some kind of blessing," Keith told him. "Don't be so stupid again okay? In future if you don't have protection, you don't have sex."

"I know," Lucas replied. "That was definitely a one off. And before you say it, yeah I know it only takes one time to make a baby, but we got her the pill right away. It was literally about ten minutes after, because we were already in the mall."

"What?" Keith asked in a shocked tone. Lucas groaned inwardly as he realized that he had let too much slip. "You were at the _mall_?"

"Can we just scratch that last comment from memory?" Lucas asked hopefully.

"I suppose we can just this once," Keith told him as he shook his head at Lucas. He then sighed as he said. "I'm glad that you used something with Brooke and Haley. Otherwise it would have been like when Dan was in high school all over again."

"God I didn't even think of that!" Lucas said in a horrified tone. "I can assure you that I'm never going to be with Haley _that_ way ever again. Brooke's the only girl that I want."

"When did you and her start sleeping together?" Keith asked.

"The day the time capsule was released," Lucas told him. "She came here to get away from Jimmy because he was stalking her along the street and one thing led to another. She had condoms in her purse."

"So let me get this straight," Keith said as he thought. "You slept with _both_ Brooke and Haley on the same day?"

"Uh yeah." Lucas mumbled.

"Lucas!" Keith said in a shocked tone.

"I know!" Lucas replied with a sigh. "I feel bad about it but you know my reasons for Haley. Brooke was because I wanted to and she was the first. It was when Haley found out about me and Brooke that she asked me for that _favor_."

"Brooke was the first that day or your first time?" Keith asked.

"Both," Lucas told him. "I thought you said that this conversation was over anyway?"

"It will be when I give you the condoms your mom asked me to buy," Keith told him. "I must have left them in the bag in the kitchen. Come with me and we'll get them."

"So does this mean I can stay over at Brooke's the night of the party?" Lucas asked as they stood and headed towards the door.

"Your mom and I will discuss it," Keith told him as they walked out of the door. They headed own the hallway and into the kitchen. Karen was sat at the table with Brooke and Haley. They were all drinking hot chocolate. "Karen do you know where I put that bag of stuff I bought for Lucas?"

"It's in the drawer under the microwave." Karen told him. Keith headed over, opened the drawer and pulled it out before handing it to Lucas. Lucas took it awkwardly and was surprised to see that Keith had bought him a variety.

"I didn't know what to get." Keith told him. Brooke and Haley shared knowing looks and smiled.

"Keith, how do you feel about doing another one of those talks?" Karen asked him. Keith turned to look at her with confusion written on his face. "Nathan is waiting up in his room."

**~X~**

"How did your talk with Uncle Keith go?" Lucas asked Nathan as they walked through the mall towards the store that Lucas worked at on Tuesday afternoon.

"I think he's going to need therapy or something," Nathan replied. "He told me to be honest with him when answering the questions, so I was."

"How bad were your answers?" Lucas asked as he raised his eyebrows.

"He didn't understand what most of it meant so I had to explain," Nathan told him. "He looked like he needed a drink by the time I'd finished."

"I bet he did," Lucas said with a chuckle. "He looked a little disturbed by my revelations, but I bet they were nothing compared to yours."

"Unless any of your escapades involved a stripper, a cheerleader and a waitress in a hotel room then no," Nathan replied. Lucas gave him an incredulous look at what he heard. "Jake and Owen were there too."

"Please do _not_ tell me anymore of that story," Lucas said as he pulled a disturbed expression. "I don't need to know what the basketball team gets up to when they're in hotel rooms."

"Sorry man," Nathan apologized. "It was pretty wild though. And there was a lot of vodka involved."

"Shut up Nathan." Lucas told them as they headed towards the store entrance.

"Sorry," Nathan apologized again. He looked through the window and saw a woman behind the counter who had bright crimson red hair. "Damn can that chick get her hair any brighter?"

"That is Ruby," Lucas told him with a grin. "She's just changed her hair color to that."

"Sheesh!" Nathan commented as they stepped into the store. Ruby looked up as she heard the door open. As they headed towards the counter, it was clear to see that Ruby was checking Nathan out.

"Good afternoon Lucas," Ruby greeted. "Who's your friend?"

"This is my brother Nathan," Lucas replied as he introduced them. "He's here to apply for the job."

"He's hired," Ruby said in response. Nathan grinned incredulously. "You can go and take the sign down and then show him the ropes. There's a big delivery to get worked through, so you two can do that. If we get busy out here, I might start to show Nathan here how to use the register."

"Seriously?" Nathan asked. "I got the job? And I didn't need to do anything?"

"Yes seriously," Ruby replied with a smile. "If you work anything like your brother, you'll definitely be an asset. Takings have gone up since he started working here. I think the ladies come just to look at him. So if I have two good looking male employees, it'll mean more profit for me."

"Come on, I'll show you the stock room." Lucas said as he handed the 'help wanted' sign to Ruby. He then led Nathan to a door that said 'staff only' and they walked through.

"Dude, can't she get done for sexual discrimination or harassment for those type of comments?" Nathan asked Lucas as he followed him down the hallway.

"You're not telling me that you didn't love her checking you out the way she was?" Lucas asked with a laugh. "Even though you probably felt a little creeped out because she's old enough to be our mother."

"I do feel like that," Nathan admitted. "And also a little violated."

"If you feel like that now, just wait until some of the customers get started on you," Lucas told him. "There's one lady who comes in and always picks a few things up that are two sizes too small for her and then she goes to try them on and gets stuck. She then calls you in to help pull it off her."

"That's just weird," Nathan told him with a frown as they headed into the stock room. "Why do people do that?"

"Either it's wishful thinking that they can finally fit in that size or they just want to be exhibitionists," Lucas told him. "Right, let's get started on this delivery."

**~X~**

"Rachel Gatina!" Brooke yelled as she stomped into the kitchen of Rachel's house with an invitation in her hand. Haley was right behind her.

"What?" Rachel replied feigning innocence.

"You know perfectly well _what_!" Brooke replied. "Who said you could add _that _onto the invitations?"

"I think it'll be interesting." Rachel said as she laughed. Peyton joined in.

"It's not funny!" Brooke told her in an angry tone. "If you think I'm giving you the money for these then you're wrong!"

"Come on Brooke, it's only a bit of fun." Peyton said backing Rachel up.

"Fun? Maybe if you're going to an orgy!" Brooke replied. "I told you that your little idea about the partygoers not wearing underwear was stupid and you still go and put it on the invitation that they won't get in unless they go commando!"

"God relax Brooke," Peyton said as she rolled her eyes. "You look like your head's about to explode."

"I think that Brooke has every right to be mad." Quinn replied as she glared at Peyton. She wasn't particularly fond of the trouble making blonde.

"Me too." Lindsey agreed.

"Brooke it's just a bit of fun." Rachel said repeating Peyton's words.

"You're _never_ handling the invitations again got it?" Brooke asked her before she picked two of the boxes up. Haley grabbed the other two. "Now me and Haley are going to have to spend all night fixing these. Come on Haley."

"I'm going too," Quinn added. "I have to get to work."

"I need to go as well," Lindsey added. "I have plans with Julian."

"Well go then," Rachel said in an annoyed tone. "Me and Peyton will just get drunk by ourselves. It's a good thing you don't have to work or look after Jenny today."

"I'm having some Peyton time," Peyton told her with a laugh as the departing girls gathered their things together. "And I don't see why I have to look after a baby that isn't mine anyway."

Brooke, Haley, Quinn and Lindsey heard Peyton's last comment and they all shared a stunned look before they headed out of Rachel's house.


	11. Chapter 11

**Fireangel08, xXalienatedXx, BpDs89, CaseyJr, Diane Hermans, paigematthewsfan21, XHush-HushX, JackSawyer99, Sunloissprod, courtneyk93, Jen loves Nathan, The-Ryanator, Jessica James 23, Beth-J-Matthews, Holly-Roberts, Lee Martin, Cheery Rose 23, Alyssia-Owens, MollyCW23, Jason-Carlton, Raven-Rachel23, James McLean, Eve G, Ashley J Scott, Carter-James, Danny-Walker, John Tate, xXLil'BitofEveryThangXx, Nicole-2223, The-Tommynator, Riley Barnes, The-Tim22, craxygirl54 – Thank you all so so much for your reviews. **

**Sorry about the huge delay in updating. I just couldn't get motivated to write. I hope you all like this chapter. Please let me know what you think. Brooke's big revelation is in this update and some readers may find the scenes a little disturbing.**

* * *

><p>"That's the last invitation altered," Haley told Brooke as she added it to the pile. They had been writing that it was optional for the no underwear clause that Rachel had added on. "It didn't take as long as I thought it would."<p>

"No it didn't," Brooke agreed. She then smiled as she added. "You finding out what Nathan likes will take a hell of a lot longer than that."

"I'm starting to get worried," Haley replied as Brooke handed her a soda. The two of them headed over to Brooke's bed and sat down, ready to begin their chat. They were already dressed in their pajamas that consisted of shorts and tank tops. "I now doubt that I can live up to all these expectations he obviously has."

"I'm sure that you will," Brooke told her. "Nathan seems to love what the two of you have been doing so far."

"Has he told you that he has?" Haley asked curiously.

"No he hasn't," Brooke admitted. "But I can tell that he loves you Haley, so he's going to love whatever you do to him when you guys take your relationship further."

"Really?" Haley asked in an awe filled voice.

"Really," Brooke confirmed. There were a few moments of silence before Brooke asked. "Does Lucas ever talk about me?"

"Are you kidding?" Haley asked as she rolled her eyes. "Lucas practically worships the ground you walk on Brooke. You made his dreams come true when you took his virginity the day the time capsule was released."

"Haley you're actually making me blush," Brooke said as she fanned her face with her hand. Haley laughed at her reaction. "So do you have your notebook and pen?"

"Right here." Haley said as she picked it up from the nightstand where she had placed it earlier. It was actually a journal that she had picked up earlier that had a lock. She didn't want anybody finding it and reading it.

"Let's get started then." Brooke said as Haley picked her pen up and opened the journal.

**~X~**

"What do you think Haley and Brooke are up to?" Nathan asked Lucas as they hung out in Lucas's bedroom.

"Probably talking about us," Lucas replied. "I think Haley will be asking Brooke for a few pointers on what you like."

"_Really_?" Nathan asked in an interested tone. "That could keep them occupied for a few hours at least. Damn I wonder if Brooke will show her some demo's."

"Demo's on _what_?" Lucas asked in an incredulous tone.

"That would be telling," Nathan replied with a grin. "It would be pretty hot to watch though."

"Damn no wonder Uncle Keith needed that full bottle of scotch after he did the talks with us," Lucas said as he laughed. Nathan quickly joined in. "Did you ask my mom about having Haley sleeping in your room?"

"Yeah I asked while you were in the shower after dinner," Nathan told him. "She surprised me by saying that I could."

"Really?" Lucas asked in a shocked tone. Nathan nodded. "I wonder if she'll let me have Brooke stay over."

"That would be great for Brooke if she did," Nathan replied. "That way she can be part of a proper family unit instead of being in that big old house by herself."

"My mom gave me permission to stay at Brooke's the night of the party," Lucas told him. "So hopefully she'll say yes to this."

"Go and ask her now," Nathan said in an encouraging tone. "You don't know unless you ask."

"I don't like interrupting her when she's baking her cakes for the café," Lucas said with a sigh. He grinned as he added. "But I guess that would be a good time because if she threw anything at me it will be soft and taste good."

"Well go and ask bro," Nathan encouraged. "You never know, you could have Brooke in your bed tomorrow night."

"Okay I'm going." Lucas said as he climbed off his bed and headed out of the bedroom door. Nathan chuckled to himself as he did and listened eagerly for any yells or sounds that indicated things being thrown. He heard nothing and was surprised when Lucas arrived back in the room sooner than he thought.

"What did she say?" Nathan asked eagerly as Lucas closed the door.

"She said yes," Lucas said sounding shocked. "I didn't even have to beg or plead or anything."

"See the talk with Uncle Keith was totally worth it," Nathan told him as his cell phone rang. Nathan pulled it out of his pocket and grinned when he saw that the caller ID said Brooke. "It's Brooke. Maybe she's calling me to ask me to come over for demo's? Hey Davis."

"_Hey Scott!"_ Brooke replied. "_Do you and Lucas want to come over to mine and Haley's sleepover?_"

"That depends," Nathan replied playfully. "Do you need us for demonstrations of any kind?"

"_Not_ _really_," Brooke replied with a slight laugh. "_I want to tell Lucas and Haley about what happened. And I'd appreciate it if you were here for moral support."_

"Sure we'll come over Brooke," Nathan replied in a serious tone. "We'll just tell Karen and then set off. See you in ten okay?"

"_Okay._" Brooke replied before she quickly ended the call.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked as he saw the look on Nathan's face.

"Brooke wants us to head on over to her place," Nathan told him. "She's ready to tell you about what happened and she wants to tell Haley too. So I'm going to be her moral support."

"Let me just go and tell my mom we're heading over there for a while." Lucas told him.

"I'll wait in the car."

**~X~**

"Nice PJ's ladies." Nathan said as he and Lucas headed into Brooke's bedroom. Nathan then took the opportunity to check Haley out.

"Shut it and sit," Brooke told him in a playful tone. "Hey Luke."

"Hey Brooke." Lucas greeted in response.

"Where am I sitting?" Nathan asked.

"On the bed next to Haley," Brooke told him. "And Lucas can sit next to me."

"Well at least we know that four people can fit in this bed perfectly fine," Nathan said as he sat on the bed as instructed. Lucas did the same so Brooke and Haley were between them. "I'm going to have some _interesting_ dreams tonight."

"I apologize for my brother." Lucas said in a funny tone causing them all to laugh. Brooke and Haley shared a knowing look as they did and Nathan wrapped his arm around Haley's shoulder.

"Okay, so Lucas, Haley, I'm going to tell you something that I've _never_ told anybody about," Brooke began. "Please promise me that you won't repeat this to anybody."

"I promise." Haley said as she gave Brooke a concerned look.

"You know I won't." Lucas told her as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She cuddled against him as she began to speak.

**~X~**

_Brooke, Nathan, Peyton, Jake, Rachel, Owen, Lindsey, Julian, Quinn, Clay, Mia and Chase were at Clay's house for his annual Halloween party. Everybody was in costume and as usual, Peyton had pulled her face over the coupley costumes. She was even worse this year, as she had actually tried it with Jake. However, it hadn't turned out as she planned. She was dressed as the evil Queen from Snow White while he was dressed as Dopey. Brooke and Nathan had decided to go as Batman and Catwoman, Bevin and Tim were dressed as bacon and eggs and Quinn and Clay were dressed as Jean Grey and Wolverine. Rachel was a prisoner and Owen was her police escort and Lindsey and Julian were dressed as Fred and Daphne from Scooby Doo and Chase and Mia were Shaggy and Velma. Chris Keller was dressed as Scooby Doo himself. _

"_Brooke can you shed any light on the whole Jeyton costume fiasco?" Rachel slurred as she leaned on Owen. "Is she trying to tell us that she thinks the Queen was having an affair with Dopey?"_

"_Rachel, Jeyton aren't even dating." Brooke pointed out as she smiled in amusement at the tipsy redhead._

"_And it's not through lack of trying on Peyton's part." Quinn added with a laugh._

"_I think desperation is the best word to describe Peyton's attempts to get Jake." Lindsey said as she chuckled._

"_You got that right." Nathan agreed._

"_That's probably why she bitched at me earlier," Brooke said as Nathan handed her a drink. "She's probably frustrated that she's not getting any from Jake."_

"_I heard her going off on one at you," Lindsey said as she shook her head. "She's wound really tight. I don't know what her problem is but she needs to get herself sorted out."_

"_I know," Brooke agreed. "She's been a total bitch these past few months."_

"_Well they do say that it takes one to know one," Peyton snapped from behind Brooke. "You're all a bunch of bitches!"_

"_Peyton!" Nathan called after her as she stomped off. Clay and Julian turned up at that point._

"_Was that a classic case of PMS or what?" Clay asked as he grinned at the small circle of friends. They all burst out laughing as his comment before they downed their drinks and then began to dance._

_An hour later, Brooke and Nathan were dancing with Chase, Mia, Julian and Lindsey. All of them were getting a little hot due to their costumes and the actual dancing. Nathan couldn't cope any longer with his Batman mask on so he pulled it off. When he did, Brooke, Chase, Mia, Lindsey and Julian began to laugh at him._

"_What?" he asked as he gave them a confused look._

"_You should have worn waterproof." Lindsey told him, making Brooke laugh harder. Nathan was still confused._

"_What did you put round your eyes man?" Julian asked. Nathan grinned as he realized what they were on about. He had completely forgotten about it._

"_I used some of Brooke's eyeliner stuff." Nathan replied. Brooke looked at him as she stopped laughing._

"_What eyeliner stuff?" she asked._

"_The one that was in the gold tube." Nathan replied._

"_Nathan!" Brooke said as her eyes went wide. "That's expensive! It's designer! And waterproof, so I don't know how it ran on you."_

"_Because Nathan sweats more than is humanly possible," Peyton said as she joined their group. She looked at Brooke and smiled. "Look I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have yelled and bitched at you the way that I did. Can we be friends again?"_

"_Oh I don't know about that. I'll have to think about it," Brooke replied playfully. She then smiled as she said. "Of course P. Sawyer. Now gimme a hug."_

"_I can't my hands are full," Peyton said as she showed her all the paper cups she held. She handed one to her. "This is for you as a peace offering."_

"_Thanks Peyton." Brooke said as she took the cup. Peyton then handed the rest out to the others. _

"_Dude what kind of statement are you trying to make?" Chris asked Nathan as he came up to the group. "Batman would never have worn make up like that."_

"_Well it looks as though the whole of Mystery Inc. is now back together." Brooke remarked. She Nathan and Peyton laughed as she did._

"_Dude there is no way in hell that I'm carrying your ass around," Chase said to Chris before he had a chance to make a comment. He had also been jumping into Chris's arms as they re-enacted what Scooby and Shaggy did when they were scared. "But I will go with you to get a Scooby snack."_

"_I think there's some over there that you can have." Quinn said as she pointed to Tim and Bevin who were dancing together._

"_Ooh I could just eat me some bacon and eggs," Chris said as he chuckled. He then turned to his friends. "Just watch this."_

_They watched as Chris headed over to where Tim and Bevin were dancing. He then grabbed Tim who shrieked loudly. Bevin laughed as Tim wriggled out of Chris's grasp and began to run away from him. Chris quickly ran after him._

"_Considering they're seniors, they have the mental age of kindergarten kids." Mia said as they all laughed at the sight of a scared Tim running away from Chris._

"_I wonder how long it'll take Tim to realize that Chris isn't actually going to eat him." Nathan said in an amused tone as he and Brooke finished their drinks._

"_I need another." Brooke announced._

"_I'll go get it for you," Peyton offered. "It's the least that I can do after how I behaved."_

"_Thanks Peyton." Brooke said as she handed her the paper cup back. Nathan did the same. None of them noticed Peyton smirking as she walked away._

_A little while later, Brooke was sat on the sofa with Nathan, Lindsey and Julian. She pulled off her Catwoman mask and fanned herself with her hand. Lindsey looked over at her and frowned in concern._

"_Are you okay Brooke?" she asked._

"_I'm too hot," Brooke replied. "I'm glad that I chose the Halle Berry Catwoman outfit and not the Michelle Pfeiffer one. Otherwise I would probably be passed out somewhere right now. How are you coping in there Nate?"_

"_I think I'm making myself infertile with this outfit," Nathan told her. "It feels like I have my man parts in a freaking sauna."_

"_That's probably a good thing considering how you sleep around." Brooke told him as Lindsey handed her a magazine that was stuffed under one of the cushions. Brooke took it and began to fan herself_

"_I'm always careful Brooke," Nathan assured her. "I don't want no funky diseases."_

"_God I need some air!" Brooke said as she threw the magazine down and stood up on shaky legs._

"_Do you want me to come with you?" Lindsey offered._

"_No it's fine," Brooke assured her. "I'm just going to sit outside for a little while. Hopefully it'll cool me down."_

_Brooke then began to make her way through the lounge and to Clay's front door. It was already open wide and she stumbled through it. She felt like she had drunk three times the amount she actually had and wondered if Clay and Julian had gotten the extra strong alcohol again. She then carefully made her way down the steps and to the paved driveway. She was going to head to a little outside table and chairs and sit there for a while, but then at the last moment she decided against it. She carried on walking down the driveway, until she reached the road. There, she got the full pelt of the breeze that came in from the ocean. She came out of the driveway and began to walk as she enjoyed the cool breeze. She then sat down on a grassed area and continued to revel in the breeze as it hit her skin. She had been sat there about ten minutes, when a black car pulled up in front of her. A window came down and Brooke looked up as it did._

"_Brooke are you okay?" a familiar voice asked her._

"_I'm great now," she told the person with a goofy smile. "I'm just getting some air before I go back to the party."_

"_What party?" the voice asked._

"_Clay's." she replied. _

"_That's quite a walk Brooke," the man said in reply. "It's at least twenty minutes on foot."_

"_Huh?" Brooke asked as she looked to her right, expecting to see Clay's house. There was nothing. "I guess I went further that I realized." _

"_I can give you a ride back," the person offered. "I'm going that way anyway."_

"_Really?" she asked as she struggled to her feet. "Thanks."_

"_I don't mind honestly. You never know who could be lurking around here," he replied with a smile. Brooke then climbed into the front passenger seat. The driver could see that she was completely wasted. "How much have you had to drink?"_

"_I'm sure I only had four drinks," Brooke told him. "But it feels like more than that. Wake me up when we get to Clay's."_

"_I will." The driver assured her. He then grinned as she closed her eyes and seemed to fall asleep almost immediately._

**~X~**

"And you can't place the voice with a person?" Lucas asked softly as he stroked her back.

"No," Brooke replied quietly. "But I know that it's familiar. I've tried placing it with all the guys I hear speaking and my head gets all jumbled."

"But you know that it's somebody you know right?" Haley asked from her spot cuddled up to Nathan.

"Yeah, otherwise I wouldn't have willingly got into the car." Brooke told her as she glanced over at her. Haley gave her a reassuring smile in response.

"Did anybody realize that you were gone?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah we did." Nathan answered as he began to tell Haley and Lucas what he and the others had been doing at the time.

**~X~**

"_Guys have you seen Brooke come back yet?" Lindsey asked in a worried tone._

"_No I've not seen her," Mia replied. "I've been kind of pre-occupied with Chase."_

"_I've been too amused in watching Chris chase Tim around." Jake told her._

"_She went outside about an hour ago and she's not come back," Lindsey told them. All eyes were immediately on her. "Me and Rachel went to look for her but there's no sign of her at all."_

"_Guys we need to go and look for her," Nathan said as he stood. "Who hasn't been drinking tonight?"_

"_Me." Jake said as he too stood._

"_Well get Clay's car keys," Julian told him. "We have to go and find Catwoman."_

**~X~**

_Brooke moaned as her senses began to come back to her ever so slowly. She heard a movement near her as she tried to will her eyes to open. Her eyelids felt like they were made of lead. She heard hurried footsteps as whoever was with her rushed away. After a few moments silence she managed to open her eyes. She looked around at her surroundings as she struggled to sit up. She was shocked as she discovered she was in some kind of grubby alley. As she succeeded in sitting up she looked down at her destroyed costume and felt panic begin to spread through out her. She slowly moved her arms to pull the leg of her spandex pants back on. It was then she saw that it was spilt almost all the way up each side seam. There was just a tiny section on the waistband that kept it together and she saw that it didn't really cover her. She then began to attempt something with her top. She saw that the straps had snapped so wasn't any use either. She pulled it up over her chest and moved so that she could lean back against a dumpster. It was then the tears started to fall._

**~X~**

"_Where else can we check?" Julian asked Nathan as the two of them headed over to where Owen, Jake, Chase and Clay were stood. _

"_You still haven't had any luck?" Chase asked them as they approached them._

"_None," Nathan replied with a frown. "It's not like her to do something like this. She always tells people if she's going somewhere."_

"_I know she does," Julian added with the same frown. "So as I asked before, where else can we check?"_

"_What about where the factories and warehouses are?" Owen suggested. "If some douche has her that would be the perfect place to take her because nobody goes there at this time of night."_

"_How do you know?" Clay asked._

"_Me and Rachel used to meet there to make out and stuff." Owen admitted._

"_How far away is it?" Chase asked. The other's looked at him and frowned. "What? I've never been there."_

"_It's about ten minutes in the car." Owen told him._

"_Well let's get going then." Jake said as they hurried back to Clay's SUV. They clambered inside and Jake quickly drove them towards the industrial area of town. He parked a little haphazardly as they all quickly jumped out._

"_Are we splitting up?" Clay asked._

"_We're better off doing that," Nathan said. "We'll cover more ground quicker that way. If you see some douche with her yell and make sure he doesn't get away."_

"_What makes you so sure that a guy has her?" Chase asked curious._

"_I have a weird feeling," he admitted. "I can't really explain it."_

"_Let's get searching then." Julian said. _

_The six of them then split up and began to scour the many nooks, crannies and alleyways in case Brooke was there. Nathan was just about giving up hope of finding Brooke when he approached the entrance to the alley. He stopped as he heard sniffles coming from the alleyway. He didn't hesitate any longer and raced into the alley. He approached the dumpsters and went past them. His heart leapt into his throat as he saw Brooke._

"_Brooke what happened?" he asked in a concerned tone. She looked up at him as he crouched beside her._

"_I don't know," she replied as she wiped at her face. "I woke up here and my clothes were like this."_

"_Were you alone?" he asked as he took his cape off. He then carefully draped it around her shoulders and made sure that she was covered._

"_Yeah," Brooke told him as she shivered. "I thought I heard footsteps leaving as I was waking up."_

"_Did they have your consent Brooke?" Nathan asked her softly as the other guys came into the alley._

"_I don't know," she admitted as she began to cry again. "I don't know if I said yes or no."_

"_Oh my God!" Julian said as he saw her. _

"_Did you get a look at who it was?" Chase asked._

"_No," Brooke replied. "When I woke up they'd gone."_

"_Come on let's get her to the hospital." Jake said._

"_I think that's a good idea." Clay agreed._

"_I don't need to go to hospital." Brooke told them._

"_Did they use anything Brooke?" Owen asked her softly. _

"_I don't know." She replied in a whisper._

"_Can you check?" Nathan asked her gently. She nodded and moved her hand to do so. She brought it back up and Nathan glanced down. It was clear to see that there were body fluids that weren't hers on her fingertips. "You're going to the hospital Brooke. We need to get you the morning after pill and tested for stuff."_

"_What are we waiting for then?" Julian asked._

"_I'll go and get the car." Jake said as he sprinted out of the alley. He was so concerned about Brooke that he never noticed the two shadowy figures watching him from a warehouse office window._

"_Where's your other shoe?" Nathan asked as Brooke tried to stand._

"_I don't know," she replied. "I looked around but I couldn't see it."_

"_I'll carry you," Nathan told her before he quickly gathered her into his arms. "I don't want to risk you standing on anything sharp."_

_The guys then began to head out of the alleyway just as Jake pulled up in the car. They headed over to it and Nathan carefully placed Brooke on the front passenger seat. His cape slipped downwards as he did and revealed her damaged top and her exposed chest. Julian, Clay, Chase and Owen averted their eyes as Nathan and Jake covered her back up. Nathan placed her safety belt on and closed the door, before they all piled in. Jake then quickly sped away in the direction of the hospital. The two figures at the warehouse window shared a look. One had a curious expression, the other one was outraged._

**~X~**

"How could anybody do that?" Haley asked as she wiped at her tears. Her heart went out to Brooke as she thought of how scared she must have been coming around in the alley.

"There are some sick people out there Hales," Nathan told her as he held her protectively. "They don't care what they do to a person as long as they get what they want."

"Do you hate me Luke?" Brooke asked sadly as he remained quiet.

"Why would I hate you Brooke?" he asked in an incredulous tone as he looked as her tear stained face.

"Because I might have been a total slut and let at least one guy use me for his needs in a disgusting alley like some seedy hooker." She told him as fresh tears fell.

"Brooke look at me," he told her. She didn't move so he gently cupped her cheek and raised her head so that her gaze met his. He carefully wiped away her tears as he said. "I could _never_ hate you Brooke. That wasn't your fault. Somebody took advantage of you when you had no capability at fighting them off. I just wish that I could have been there to protect you."

"Me too." Nathan agreed as he felt the guilt come over him again. The amount of times that he wished he could have gone back and made it so that he had gone outside with Brooke instead of just letting her wander off by herself.

"What happened at the hospital?" Haley asked in a quiet tone. "You don't have to carry on if you don't want to Brooke."

"I want to." Brooke told her. Haley reached out and took hold of her hand. Brooke squeezed it gratefully and was glad that she had decided to open up to her and Lucas.

**~X~**

"_What do you think happened to her?" Julian asked Nathan with a concerned frown._

"_Well she either had sex with somebody of her own free will or she was raped." Nathan replied in a tone that told him not to ask ridiculous questions. He was trying to fill in the hospital paperwork._

"_If it's the second one, we're gonna find that son of a bitch and make him pay." Owen said with a scowl._

"_Whoever it was must have had a car," Jake said in a thoughtful tone. "There's no way Brooke could have made it there in that time span on foot."_

"_No she couldn't," Clay agreed. "Especially when she was wasted."_

"_I want to know how she got as wasted as that," Chase said. "We all had the same amount to drink as what she did. Somebody must have spiked her drink either at the party or after she left."_

"_I know none of us would put anything in her drinks," Nathan said as he frowned in thought. "But it could have been anybody else there."_

"_I hope that if she didn't give her permission she doesn't remember any of it," Julian said with a sigh. "I'd hate for her to have to relive whatever happened if she didn't want it."_

"_Me too." Jake agreed._

"_The doctor seems to be taking ages with her." Chase said as he looked at his watch. He then saw that they had only been waiting ten minutes since they had brought Brooke in. It felt like hours to him._

"_Maybe they're just giving her a full check over to make sure they don't miss anything with her not remembering what happened." Owen suggested._

"_Maybe," Nathan replied. He then frowned as he realized something. "Somebody should go and get Brooke some clothes to wear. I mean hers aren't in a fit state for anything other than being put in the trash."_

"_I have some clean sweats and a t-shirt in a bag in my trunk," Clay told him. "I'll go and get it."_

"_I'll come with you." Julian said. _

"_I shouldn't be too long," Clay told Nathan. He then looked at Owen and Chase. "Why don't you guys go and get us all some coffee? I think we could do with it."_

"_I'll go with you guys," Jake said before he turned to Nathan. "Unless you want me to wait with you?"_

"_No I'm good," Nathan replied. "You go get the coffee. I'll wait here in case the doc comes to tell us anything."_

_The guys then left and Nathan brought his attention back to the paperwork. He just couldn't concentrate on filling it in. He knew the information that was required but his brain wouldn't produce it. He was too worried about Brooke. He sighed in frustration and leaned back in his seat as a nurse approached him. He looked at her expectantly as she did._

"_Are you Nathan Scott?" she asked._

"_Yeah." Nathan replied sounding worried._

"_Brooke is asking for you," she told him. "She wants you to be there while she's examined. I think she needs the support of a friend."_

"_Where is she?" Nathan asked as he stood._

"_I'll take you to her," the nurse told him. She began to lead the way. "Are you done with the paperwork?"_

"_No. I can't concentrate on what to put," he admitted. "I know the answers, I just can't focus."_

"_That's okay, you can fill it out afterwards," the nurse told him as she led him into the room where Brooke was. He saw that there were curtains around where he presumed the bed was. "Brooke, Nathan's here. Is it okay to let him through the curtain?"_

"_Yeah." Brooke's hoarse voice replied. The nurse then pulled the curtain back slightly and saw Brooke on the bed in a hospital gown._

"_Hey." He greeted softly as he placed the forms on a side table._

"_Hey," she replied almost inaudibly as the nurse closed the curtain. "Thanks for coming through here."_

"_There's no need to thank me," Nathan told her. "Did you see the doc yet?"_

"_Sort of," she told him as she took a breath. "The doc started the evidence procedure but after I took my clothes off on the paper I freaked out. So they stopped and I asked for you."_

"_Took your clothes off on the paper?" Nathan asked puzzled._

"_Seeing as though I can't remember what happened they're collecting evidence in case I remember and it turns out that what happened was against my will," she explained. "That way if I do and I want to prosecute, the evidence is there."_

"_Oh." Nathan replied in a shocked voice._

"_I just need you to hold my hand before they do anything else Nathan," Brooke practically begged. "Even though I don't know what the hell happened, I'm freaking out a little here."_

"_Well I'm here for you Brooke. I'm not going anywhere." Nathan assured her as he took hold of her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Brooke gave him a grateful smile as a female doctor came behind the curtain._

"_Are you okay for us to continue Brooke?" she asked softly. Brooke nodded and took another deep breath. "So now we've got your clothing bagged and the hair samples, I'll have to take some swabs from you Brooke."_

"_Okay," Brooke said in a shaky voice. "Will it hurt?"_

"_It shouldn't hurt but you may be uncomfortable with the procedure itself," the doctor told her. "Remember that you can tell me stop the procedure at any time and I will okay?"_

"_Okay." Brooke replied._

"_It'll be okay Brooke," Nathan told her, not really sure of what else to say. "I'll be here the whole time. Just focus on me."_

_Brooke kept a death like grip on Nathan's hand while the doctor carried out her procedures. Nathan stroked her hair in response and Brooke kept her gaze on his. She had to break the gaze when the doctor swabbed her mouth, but she then quickly returned it to his worried blue eyes when it was over. The doctor then took two samples of Brooke's blood before scraping under her fingernails and then trimming them. She had explained to Brooke that they would do that in case she had fought back and there were skin samples hiding there. _

"_Okay that's the physical part over with. Just so you know there are no internal injuries or bruising," the doctor told Brooke as she finished. "You can relax now. We have the results of your pregnancy test and you're not pregnant so I'll write you a prescription for the morning after pill. I'm also going to give you a prescription for antibiotics that we give to treat sexually transmitted diseases. Your HIV test came back negative too, but you'll still have to go to your normal doctor in three months for another. Then again in six months from now and then a year from now just to be sure. Do you have any questions?"_

"_Can I go home now?" Brooke asked. Nathan hated how vulnerable she sounded._

"_You can once I've discharged you. It won't take me two minutes," she then looked at Nathan. "Did you complete the forms?"_

"_Uh no," Nathan replied. "I'll do it now."_

"_I'll do it Nate." Brooke told him. He then handed them to her._

"_Do you have any clothes to change into?" the doctor asked her in a friendly tone._

"_No." Brooke replied as she frowned._

"_Clay has some clean clothes in a bag in his trunk. Him and Julian went to get it," Nathan told her. "I'll go and grab it."_

"_Okay," Brooke replied. She then frowned as she looked at her wrist. "Doctor, did you take my bracelet for evidence?"_

"_Let me just check," the doctor said as she looked through the piles of evidence she had. "No there's no bracelet Brooke."_

"_It must have fallen off," she said as she sighed. "I really liked that too."_

"_Well once we get you home either me or one of the guys will go and check in the alley and see if it's there," Nathan told her. "And when we're clearing up Clay's place we'll keep our eyes open."_

"_Okay." Brooke told him softly._

"_I'll go and get those clothes." He told her as he stood and left the curtained area._

**~X~**

"Why did they do a pregnancy test?" Haley asked in a puzzled tone. She still held Brooke's hand.

"In case I was already pregnant," Brooke told her. "I told them that I knew I wasn't but they did one to be safe."

"I hate that you had to go through that." Lucas said in a sad tone as he stroked her back and hair. He didn't want to ever let her out of his arms again so that he could keep her safe.

"Me too." Nathan and Haley said in unison. Brooke felt like she could cry again just from the support they were showing her. She had expected Lucas to be repulsed by her and Haley to turn round and say that the rumors were true all along.

"What happened when you got home?" Lucas asked as he kissed Brooke's forehead. He felt her arms tighten around him as he did.

**~X~**

"_How is she doing?" Julian asked as Nathan came into the living room of Brooke's house._

"_She's sleeping thankfully," Nathan replied. "I've been thinking. We have to keep this to ourselves and not tell anybody, not even your girlfriends. Brooke doesn't want this getting out."_

"_Okay." They all replied._

"_What do we tell the girls when they ask where Brooke was?" Jake asked._

"_Tell them me and her had an arrangement to hook up," Nathan replied. "And that I got distracted and didn't tell you that I'd found her."_

"_Okay." The other guys replied again._

"_Did you find her bracelet Jake?" Nathan asked._

"_No," Jake replied. "Me and Julian even took torches so we could look properly. All we found was trash and a pile of puke."_

"_Yeah there was no sign at all of her bracelet or missing shoe," Julian added. "And whoever puked had eaten a lot of carrots."_

"_Puke always has carrots in it." Chase commented causing the others to give him strange looks. "Well it does."_

"_Okay, so getting back to the topic in hand," Nathan said as he shook his head. "We need to keep our eyes open and see if anybody has Brooke's missing items and see if anybody acts any differently towards her."_

"_We should make a list of suspects and check their stuff out." Owen suggested. _

"_Good idea," Nathan agreed. "And when we finally find the ass wipe that left her like that, we beat the crap out of him and find out what the hell happened."_

"_I'm for that." Julian replied._

"_So do you want us to stay here with you guys tonight?" Jake asked._

"_I think it'll be fine with just me and Brooke," Nathan replied. "I have a change of clothes here anyway so I'll keep watch and make sure that she's okay. You guys go back to the party."_

"_Okay," Clay said before he yawned. "We'll all come by tomorrow though and check on her."_

"_We'll even stop by that coffee place and get Brooke something special on the way." Chase told him. Nathan nodded before they all headed out of the house. He then made sure to secure the door before he headed back upstairs to check on Brooke._

**~X~**

Once Brooke and Nathan had finished telling Lucas and Haley about what had happened, there was an intense silence over the four of them. Nathan still held Haley and Lucas was holding Brooke; both of them stroked the girls' backs reassuringly. After a long while, Brooke slowly and reluctantly moved out of Lucas's embrace. He looked at her questioningly as she moved off the bed.

"I need some tissues," she explained. "Your t-shirt isn't soaking my tears up any longer."

"I think I need some too," Haley admitted as she left Nathan's arms. She climbed off the bed as Brooke headed over to her dresser to retrieve the box of tissues she kept there. "I can't believe how you got through that Brooke. If it was me I don't think I could handle the not knowing. But then I also think I couldn't handle knowing too."

"I know what you mean." Brooke said as she turned to face her with the tissues in her hand. She then frowned and dropped the box as she was hit by another memory from that night. This time it was an entirely new one.

"Brooke what's wrong?" Haley asked in concern. Lucas and Nathan were immediately off the bed and by her side.

"I remembered something," she replied as she held onto Lucas. "Something not nice."

"Can you tell us Brooke?" Nathan asked softly as he looked at her in concern. She looked exactly like she did on the night in question.

"Take your time Brooke." Lucas whispered. Brooke took several deep breaths before she began to tell them what she remembered.

**~X~**

_Brooke opened her eyes and saw a dark figure over her. She then felt the unmistakable feeling of a hard shaft moving within her. She moaned in protest as she felt a tight grip on each of her wrists that were against a hard wooden surface. She moved slightly and tried to get whoever it was off her. It was unsuccessful and only succeeded in putting her in a position where he could penetrate her deeper. Her eyes then fluttered closed again as she drifted off once more. _

_When they opened again a while later, the man was still over her and inside her. This time she could hear his grunts and heavy breathing from his exertions. She managed another moan of protest as she realized how sore she was getting from his actions. She heard a sadistic chuckle from him in response, before she welcomed the blackness once again._

_The next time she opened her eyes she didn't have a clue how long she had been wherever she was. Her eyes managed to focus on a picture that was on the wall. It was a piece of modern art and Brooke couldn't distinguish what it was supposed to be of. However, she just focused on it as the man continued to use her for his needs and threw the occasional degrading comment at her. She prayed for whatever was in her system to kick in again and was thankful when she felt her eyes drifting close once again._

**~X~**

"Oh my God!" Haley said in a shocked voice. "Whoever it was _raped_ you?"

"I don't know," Brooke said as she began to cry. Lucas immediately tried to offer her some form of comfort. Nathan watched him and knew that Brooke would be in good, caring hands with him. "I could have said yes. I don't remember anything from getting in the car to being on the desk or table."

"I can't believe that somebody would do something so horrible to you." Lucas said sounding emotional. He hated picturing what she was telling him. He made her a silent vow that he would find whoever it was and make them pay.

"Me neither," Haley replied in almost a whisper as Nathan wrapped his arms tighter around her.

"So whoever it was took you someplace before they left you in the alley?" Nathan questioned as he frowned in thought.

"They must have." Brooke murmured as she tried to lose herself in Lucas's embrace.

"Can you remember what the picture on the wall looked like?" Haley asked.

"Yeah." Brooke answered.

"Maybe you could try drawing it and then we can see if we've seen it someplace before." Haley suggested.

"That's a good idea." Lucas agreed.

"It is," Brooke admitted. "I don't think I can draw it right now though. I just want you to hold me some more Luke."

"Why don't you and Haley come over to mine?" Lucas asked her. "My mom has given her permission for you girls to stay over in our rooms and that way I can hold you all night long and make sure that you're safe."

"That would be great," Brooke replied. "Let me just get changed and a bag packed then we can head over there."


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you all so much for your awesome reviews! Hope you all enjoy this update. I promise I will reveal who did that to Brooke later in the story.**

* * *

><p>Brooke woke the next morning wrapped in Lucas's arms. She smiled as she relished the security his arms brought her. She found herself wishing that he hadn't worn a shirt to bed so she could appreciate his physique. She moved her head to look up at his face. She smiled again as she saw that he was still fast asleep. He didn't stir as she moved herself upwards so that her face was level with his. She then placed a kiss on his lips and still got no response. She continued to place little, gentle kisses on his lips until she began to get a response. When she felt him respond she pulled back from him and looked at his face. She was met with a pair of sleepy blue eyes.<p>

"Good morning Broody." Brooke said softly as she smiled at him.

"Morning Pretty Girl," he replied in a gruff tone. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Really good actually," Brooke replied sounding surprised. "I'm glad your mom let me stay here last night with you. I don't think I would have slept at all if I was at my house."

"Yeah my mom is pretty awesome," Lucas replied as he ran a hand over her back. He appreciated the feel of the extremely soft cotton of her tank top. "I was surprised that she said yes when I asked her if you could stay over here. I was expecting her to say no."

"Maybe it's because you had that talk with your Uncle Keith." Brooke suggested.

"Yeah maybe." Lucas replied as he pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Luke I think I want to tell your mom about what happened too." Brooke said as she frowned slightly.

"Really?" Lucas asked in a surprised tone.

"Yeah," Brooke said as she looked into his eyes. "Telling you and Haley last night really helped me. My parent's don't even know what happened to me. Your mom is the most amazing mom in Tree Hill and I just want to tell her."

"You want to tell me what?" Karen asked from the doorway of Lucas's bedroom. "And thank you for that compliment Brooke."

"Mom, I didn't hear you come in." Lucas said as he and Brooke moved away from each other.

"I'm just glad that I didn't interrupt anything," Karen replied. "I thought I might be when I got no answer when I knocked."

"Sorry I didn't hear you knocking mom." Lucas apologized as he and Brooke climbed out of bed. Karen was relieved to see that they both had pajamas on.

"Brooke what do you want to tell me?" Karen asked her softly. "What don't your parents know?"

"It's not a pretty story Karen," Brooke told her in a small voice. Karen felt her motherly instinct kicking in at the vulnerability on the young brunettes face. "It's quite a long one too. Do you have time?"

"Of course I have time," Karen told her. She could open the café later than normal. She could see that Brooke needed to talk to her. "Where do you want to talk? Keith is in the kitchen finishing setting the table for breakfast."

"Actually I think I'd like to tell Keith too," Brooke said as she took a deep breath. Lucas looked at her in surprise. "It might do me good to get a grown up perspective on what happened."

"Let's get to the kitchen then." Lucas said as he wrapped an arm around Brooke's shoulders.

A while later Brooke, Lucas, Karen, Keith, Nathan and Haley were gathered around the breakfast table. They had eaten their breakfast and then Brooke had re-told the story of what had happened to her the previous Halloween. Karen and Keith had listened in a shocked silence. Both couldn't believe what they had heard and felt disgusted that somebody could do something like that to another person.

"I think Haley has the right idea of trying to draw what the artwork looks like," Keith told Brooke in a comforting tone. "That way we can see if we recognize it from anywhere and it might shed some light on to what happened."

"I'm going to try and focus on that image," Brooke told him. She shuddered as she added. "When I think back to that the only thing I can really focus on is what that man was doing to me."

"Are you certain that it was a man?" Karen asked. She received odd looks from the teenagers and added. "I mean it could have been a boy from the school."

"I'm not sure," Brooke said as she frowned and tried to recall anything that might give her an indication to the guy's identity. "All I know is that he was strong and he liked to use insulting words."

"Me and the guys have been trying to figure out who it was that did this," Nathan told Karen and Keith. "We've been watching out for Brooke and making sure that she's safe so the sicko can't do it to her again."

"It's Halloween in a few weeks." Haley said quietly.

"I know," Brooke replied. "I'm dreading it. I don't think I can face a Halloween party this year. I think it might bring it all back with a vengeance."

"That might be good in a way," Karen told her in a caring tone. She hated herself for believing the gossip about Brooke now that she knew the truth. "You might be able to figure out who it was and what exactly happened."

"I don't know if that will be a good thing or not though Karen." Brooke said before she burst into tears. Lucas immediately gathered her into his arms in a comforting embrace.

"We're late for school." Haley pointed out as her eyes fell on the clock. Nathan glanced at it and saw that they were almost forty-five minutes late.

"I'll go and give the school a call." Keith said as he stood from his seat. He gave Brooke a concerned look as he headed to the lounge where the phone was.

**~X~**

"Luke Uncle Keith and your mom are pretty damn awesome," Nathan said as he and Lucas rearranged the bedroom that Nathan now occupied. "They let us have girls stay over and cut school. I thought you said they were strict?"

"They are usually," Lucas replied as they moved the bed to its new position. "As for letting us stay home today, I'm not surprised after they heard what happened to Brooke."

"I see your point there," Nathan agreed as they began to move a chest of drawers. "But I would have thought that it would have been just Brooke that got to stay off. Not all four of us."

"I'm glad we're all off," Lucas said. "I don't like the idea of Brooke being home alone."

"Neither do I." Nathan said as the drawers were placed in their new location. The two brothers then took a few minutes break and Nathan looked at Lucas curiously as he saw that he was deep in thought.

"Is Dan working today?" Lucas asked.

"Probably," Nathan replied confused. "Why?"

"I have a feeling in my gut that it could be him," Lucas said. "I think after you told me about Dan watching that tape that you and Brooke made and the time capsule video, along with the comments it just seems like something he would do."

"What do you suggest we do?" Nathan asked. "Go to the dealership and ask him?"

"No," Lucas said as he rolled his eyes at Nathan's stupid suggestion. "We go and search the house while he's at work and see if we can find anything that might belong to Brooke. She's missing a bracelet and a shoe from that night, they have to be somewhere. And if we see any abstract art in your house we take pictures on our phones and ask Brooke if it's familiar."

"You should become a cop," Nathan told him. "But then again you might get fired because of your illegal house searches for evidence."

"True I would," Lucas said as he smiled. "So what do you say? While Brooke and Haley are hanging out, we could tell them we're going to go get lunch and then head over there."

"Let's do it," Nathan said as he rummaged for his car keys. He then checked that he still had the key to Dan's house. "Let's just hope that he hasn't changed the alarm code."

Nathan and Lucas then headed down the staircase and made their way along the hallway towards Lucas's bedroom. Lucas opened the door and went inside. They smiled as they saw that Brooke and Haley were cuddled together on Lucas's bed fast asleep.

"Is it wrong that I find that kind of arousing?" Nathan asked as he tilted his head slightly to study the two sleeping girls. Lucas sniggered and shook his head.

"It's wrong," Lucas replied. He then added. "Even though it's having a similar affect on me too."

"Damn we're more alike than I thought!" Nathan added playfully. "Come on let's go."

"Let's leave them a note in case they wake up while we're gone." Lucas said as he headed over to his desk.

"What are you gonna put?" Nathan asked curious.

"That we've gone to get lunch." Lucas said as he scribbled a note. He then placed it onto the pillow beside Brooke's head.

"Let's go," Nathan said as he gave Haley a last lingering look. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we get back to our girls."

**~X~**

"So much for him being at work." Nathan muttered to Lucas as they stared at the passed out figure of Dan. He was sprawled out on the sofa of the immense lounge with several empty bottle of scotch surrounding him. His loud snores rumbled throughout the building.

"I wonder how long he's been like that." Lucas said as they crept down the hallway towards Dan's study. They had decided on the way over that that would be the best place to start.

"I don't particularly care," Nathan replied as they headed into the study. They quickly began to search through the drawers and cupboards that were in there. "Just as long as he doesn't come round while we're here."

"Yeah I hope he doesn't either," Lucas agreed. "I'm glad that he keeps his drawers unlocked."

"He doesn't usually," Nathan told him as Lucas pulled a brown manila file out of the drawer he had just opened. "He must be lapsing in the security area now that I don't live here."

"I can see why." Lucas said in a disgusted tone. He pulled a repulsed face as he looked at what was in the folder. Nathan frowned and wondered what he was looking at.

"Do I even want to know what's in there?" Nathan asked him.

"Not really," Lucas replied as he closed the folder. He then pulled a video tape and a CD out of the drawer. Lucas's repulsed expression deepened as he saw what was written on the CD and tape. "Dan made a digital copy of yours and Brooke's tape. This folder has stills from it."

"You're kidding me?" Nathan asked as he felt sick to his stomach.

"I wish I was," Lucas told him as he pulled another file out. He pulled the same expression as he saw what was in there. "God he even has a separate folder for the time capsule video."

"Seriously?" Nathan asked in the same disgusted tone that Lucas was using.

"Seriously." Lucas replied.

"We're taking those with us so we can burn them," Nathan told him. "Don't tell Brooke that he has this."

"I'm not going to," Lucas assured him. "It's the last thing she needs to know. Dan freaks her out enough already."

"Well look what we have here," Nathan said as he pulled an envelope out of a filing cabinet drawer. It was usually kept locked. He then pulled out a huge wad of money. "I think we should take this too."

"Where the hell did that come from?" Lucas asked as his eyes went wide.

"Probably some dodgy deal knowing Dan," Nathan replied. "I think I might have a rucksack lying around in what used to be my room. I'll go and grab it."

"Hurry up," Lucas told him. "I don't want to be caught in here by myself if he wakes up."

"I'll be real quick I promise," Nathan replied as he quickly went out of the door. While he was gone Lucas continued to search the drawers in Dan's office. Nathan appeared a little while later. "I checked the drawers and closet in his bedroom too. I think I need a shrink."

"Why?" Lucas asked as he frowned.

"I found my mom's supplies of self _help_ toys," Nathan said as he pulled a disgusted expression once more. "Now I know why she used to tell me to never go snooping in the closet."

"Oh," Lucas replied with a smile as Nathan headed over to the desk and put the files, tape and CD's that Lucas had found into the rucksack. The money was already in there. "Anything else?"

"There was a pair of handcuffs in a nightstand drawer," Nathan added. "Again I don't want to know why they're there."

"I'd hate to be you right now," Lucas said as he chuckled at the grossed out expression on Nathan's face. "So where do you want to check now. There's nothing else of any interest in here."

"Kitchen?" Nathan suggested. "Although I doubt that there'll be anything in there that will be conspicuous."

"That's a long word for you isn't it?" Lucas asked in a teasing tone as they came out of the study and headed to the kitchen.

"You sound like Haley," Nathan said as he chuckled. "And I'll say to you what I say to her. At least you know the tutoring is working."

"Yeah there is a plus in that," Lucas replied playfully. He then let out a sigh as he saw the size of the kitchen. "Let's get searching."

**~X~**

"I can't believe that after all that searching all we found was those files." Lucas said with a sigh as they drove back from getting lunch from the café.

"And the money," Nathan added with a grin. "I guess it's good in a way that we didn't find those missing things of Brooke's there."

"I see your point," Lucas said in response. "I was just so certain that it was him."

"Me too," Nathan admitted. "So when shall we burn that shit Dan had in his drawers?"

"When the girls are busy," Lucas replied. "I'm sure we could do it tonight once my mom and Uncle Keith have gone to bed."

"Good idea," Nathan said. "I'll hang out in your room and then we'll sneak out by the door in your room."

"I'm sure I can convince Haley to have Brooke stay over at hers," Lucas told him. "That way she won't know anything about it."

"Good idea," Nathan repeated. "I don't want either of them sleeping alone just in case."

"Me neither," Lucas agreed. "Especially with Halloween coming up. I mean what if the guy who did that to Brooke does it every year?"

"I was thinking that," Nathan replied as they pulled up into the driveway outside Lucas's house. "I'm leaving that bag in the trunk. That way there's less chance of somebody finding it before we burn it."

"Where are you going to keep the money?" Lucas asked with a frown.

"I have no idea," Nathan admitted. "I need somewhere safe."

"I have a place where you can keep it," Lucas told him. "And nobody would ever dream of looking for it there."

"Where?" Nathan asked curious.

"On the roof of the café there's a part of a wall on a vent thing that has some loose bricks," Lucas told him. "I used to hide stuff behind them all the time when I was a kid. In fact I think there's still a container behind there that I used to keep my stash in that will be plenty big enough for the money."

"We'll head there tonight after we've burnt the files and video crap." Nathan told him.

"Well we'll have to climb up the fire escape," Lucas told him. "The only way up there besides that is through the café itself."

"Even better," Nathan told him. "There's less chance of people getting up there."

"Exactly," Lucas replied. "Now let's go and give the food to the girls before it goes cold."

**~X~**

"We should be able to sneak out of here now." Nathan said to Lucas as he went into his room after finishing in the bathroom.

"They're asleep already?" Lucas asked in a surprised tone.

"Well I wouldn't say asleep but they're in bed," Nathan said as he grinned. "They could be occupied for quite some time."

"Eeww!" Lucas said as he pulled a face. "At least I have a good excuse if we get caught coming back in."

"What that you wanted to escape the sounds of our Uncle and your mom in bed together?" Nathan asked making Lucas feel even more disgusted.

"Yeah can you quit that now?" Lucas asked as he climbed off his bed. "You're _really_ grossing me out right now."

"Okay," Nathan replied with a chuckle. "Let's go and take care of business."

"You make it sound like we're going to do some major crime or something." Lucas said as he shook his head.

"It kinda feels like it," Nathan replied. "Especially how we're sneaking out and we're dressed like we're going to rob some place."

"I know what you mean," Lucas said as they headed towards the door that led outside. "So did you decide where the best place to burn the stuff was?"

"I'd say at the marsh where me and the guys dumped you that time," Nathan replied. He then frowned as he added. "Sorry about that by the way. That was Tim's idea. I shouldn't have gone along with it."

"It's okay," Lucas replied as he thought back to the night in question not long after high school had began. "Although you better watch your back when we get out there. I might decide to get revenge on you for that."

"Fair enough," Nathan replied. "I think I deserve it if you do."

"Relax I'm not going to dunk you in a bog." Lucas assured him as they crept out of the door. Lucas closed it silently behind them and they hurried to Nathan's car. The climbed in and Nathan started the engine before he backed out of the driveway.

**~X~**

"Thanks for letting me stay over Haley." Brooke said gratefully.

"You're welcome Brooke," Haley told her. "It's kind of weird being by myself when I sleep now."

"I know what you mean," Brooke replied. "I hate sleeping in a room by myself now."

"Can I ask you something?" Haley asked.

"Sure." Brooke told her.

"If you didn't have Lucas what would you do without Nathan?" Haley asked curious.

"I honestly don't know," Brooke told her as she frowned in thought. "Probably rotate between staying at everybody's houses."

"It sucks that your parents are never around," Haley told her in a soft tone. "Do you miss them?"

"I've never known it be any different Haley," Brooke admitted. "And honestly, no I don't miss them. I had my family around me when I needed them and they've always looked after me."

"You mean the guys?" Haley asked.

"Yeah," Brooke said with a fond smile. "The idea that I've slept with them all is kind of disturbing."

"I bet it is," Haley replied. "Especially if they're like brothers. Who do you think started that rumor?"

"I don't know, but my gut tells me that it's Peyton," Brooke told her. "She's jealous of me because I was there for the start of Jenny's life while she was in rehab."

"I can't believe Peyton had a drug problem," Haley said in a shocked tone. "It explains a lot though."

"It does." Brooke said as she managed a smile.

"Can I ask you something personal?" Haley asked looking a little uncertain.

"Of course," Brooke told her. "After our conversation last night when I told you _everything_ that Nathan likes in bed, you're asking if you can ask something personal?"

"Point taken," Haley replied. "After what happened to you at Halloween, how did you get back on the horse so to speak?"

"Well a few weeks after Jenny was born me and Jake were out buying her things," Brooke began. "The mall had this little booth thing where you could buy a certificate and get a photograph that said mom of the week. Jake treated me to it because of how I'd helped him with Jenny."

"That's sweet." Haley told her, wondering how that had helped Brooke.

"We took Jenny back to Jake's and his parents were out. We put Jenny to bed and we were talking and I had a mini meltdown," Brooke continued. "He comforted me and we ended up making out. I actually felt comfortable with him and we ended up in bed together. I think that if I hadn't been with Jake that night I'd be in a really dark place right now."

"You had sex with Jake?" Haley asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Brooke replied. "I think Peyton has an idea we've slept together and that's why she acts the way she does."

"Probably," Haley agreed. "If you don't mind me asking, besides what happened at Halloween, how many guys have you been with that way?"

"Three," Brooke replied. Haley was surprised at the answer. "Nathan, Jake and Lucas."

"Who was your first?" Haley asked curious.

"Nathan," Brooke replied with a smile. "We got drunk at a club and he had been bragging to the guys for a while that he'd had loads of girls. But I knew that he hadn't. We were dancing together and it was getting incredibly hot-"

"Hot as in heat or hot as in sexy?" Haley butted in.

"Both," Brooke replied with a smile. "His hands were wandering underneath my skirt and were making me even hotter. So I dragged him out of there, got a cab back to my place and we had sex in the hot tub. He confessed that he hadn't done it before and made me promise that I wouldn't laugh at him. He had nothing to worry about, that guy is a natural."

"I can't wait to take that step with him," Haley admitted as she blushed. "Although I'm kind of nervous too. That night I was with Lucas was pretty amazing, but I don't have feeling for Lucas the way I do with Nathan."

"I know what you mean Haley," Brooke replied. "It's completely different when feelings are involved."

"You're still going to help me get ready at the party right?" Haley asked hopefully. "I want to look perfect for Nathan."

"Haley of course I am," Brooke told her. "And Nathan won't mind how you look as long as it's the Haley James he loves that shows up."

"You think he loves me?" Haley asked sounding shocked.

"I do," Brooke told her. "Nathan has _never_ and I repeat never acted this way around a girl before. Not even me. So that goes to show how much he cares for you."

"You know there are moments when I still struggle to get my head around everything that has happened over these past few weeks." Haley admitted.

"Same here," Brooke replied. "But everything is changing for the better."

"Thankfully." Haley said as she smiled.

"So I had an idea of how you can seduce Nathan at the party," Brooke said as she grinned. "And get a little pleasure in the process before the main event."

"You do?" Haley asked eagerly.

"Uh huh." Brooke replied as her grin grew.

"Is it something you told me last night?" Haley asked.

"Nope." Brooke replied not giving anything away.

"Come one Brooke tell me." Haley pleaded.

"Okay," Brooke said as she turned onto her side to face Haley. "Now listen up."

**~X~**

"And you definitely think that it'll be safe up here?" Nathan asked Lucas as they put the bricks back to hide the money they had put in Lucas's secret stashing place.

"Everything has been in the past," Lucas replied. He then frowned as he added. "Although it was only my candy and comic stash. Occasionally it was my pocket money when I wanted to save up for something. I'd put it here so that I wouldn't delve into it at home."

"What's that noise?" Nathan asked in a whisper as he heard what sounded like footsteps.

"I don't know," Lucas whispered back as he too heard the noise. "Let's have a look."

The two of them then crept to the edge of roof and peered over the wall part and into the alleyway at the back of the café. There was a streetlight at the opening to the alley which illuminated it perfectly. Nathan and Lucas saw two figures walking into the alley; one male, one female. They stopped and looked at the opening they had just walked through to make sure that nobody was going past. The female then took out some packets from her pocket and handed them to the man. He checked them over and they heard him laugh before he put them into his pocket. He then pulled something out of another pocket and handed it to the female.

"Keep up the good work," they hear the man say. They then saw him caress the cheek of the woman. "Although it's a shame that I don't get my payment the other way anymore."

"For you maybe," the female replied. "At least I have some self respect now."

"You're lucky that we have an arrangement," the man told her. "Otherwise your remains would be getting discovered washed up on the beach."

"Whatever," the female replied. "Are we done? I have somewhere I need to be."

"We're done," the man replied as he held a piece of paper out to her. "Get me what's on that list and I'll make it worth your while."

"I'll see what I can do." The female replied as she put the paper into her pocket.

She then turned and walked out of the alley. The man waited a few minutes before he too exited it. Nathan and Lucas moved to look over the other side of the roof. They saw the female getting into her car and speeding away. The man climbed into a car that had three other people in it and headed in the opposite direction. The two brothers shared a confused look.

"Did we just witness a drug deal?" Lucas asked Nathan as he frowned.

"It looks like it," Nathan said as he sighed. "Jake isn't going to be happy when he hears that Peyton is using again."

"I wonder what she was giving him." Lucas said as they headed to the fire escape and began to climb down. Once they were both at the bottom, they made sure to leave it how they found it and so that nobody could access it from the street level. Lucas was glad that they had thought to do that on their way up.

"I think she's getting stuff from that pharmacy she works at and exchanging it for whatever drug she's doing now." Nathan said as they headed back to his car. Both were glad that there was nobody around.

"Me too," Lucas agreed as they climbed into Nathan's car. He was glad that he had parked away from the café. "You know what I wanna do now?"

"Make out with Brooke?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah," Lucas replied as he gave Nathan a surprised look. "How did you know that?"

"Because I want to make out with Haley," He answered. "How about we stop by Haley's place and get a little make out action before we head back home?"

"I'm _not_ making out with Brooke while you and Haley are in the room." Lucas told him firmly.

"You and Brooke can go into the closet then," Nathan told him. "You guys could pretend you're playing seven minutes in heaven."

"I'd need a _lot_ longer than seven minutes." Lucas replied before he realized what had left his mouth. Nathan laughed in response as he started the car and pulled away from the curb.

"So are we going to Haley's or not?" Nathan asked.

"We better not," Lucas replied with a sigh. "My mom and Uncle Keith would go crazy if they found out."

"I hope they're done doing _that_." Nathan said in a disturbed tone.

"Me too." Lucas agreed as Nathan drove in the direction of his home.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks for all the reviews. Hope you enjoy the update.**

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><p>"Karen can I ask a favor?" Brooke asked as she placed her breakfast things into the sink.<p>

"Sure you can." Karen replied.

"I was wondering if you would do the food for the party." Brooke replied.

"Sure I can do that," Karen replied with a smile. "What type of things do you want?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Brooke replied. "Just regular party food. I did have people assigned for food but they've transferred to decorations."

"I don't mind helping out," Karen told her. "And it'll be on the house."

"No I insist that I pay for it," Brooke told her. "It wouldn't be fair of me to have you do all the work and not pay."

"I'm sure we can come to some form of arrangement," Karen told her with a smile. "You better hurry or you'll be late for school."

"I just came to tell you that," Lucas said from his spot in the doorway. "You ready to go?"

"I just need to get my book bag." Brooke told him.

"It's already in the car." Lucas told her with a grin.

"Well then I guess I'm ready," she replied as she smiled back at him. Karen smiled to herself as she saw how Brooke and Lucas were acting around each other. It was clear to see that they were both smitten. "See you after school Karen."

"You will," Karen replied. "You too Lucas. Have fun."

"Bye ma," Lucas replied as he and Brooke headed to the front door hand in hand. "And I'm sure we'll have tons of fun at school."

"Bye Karen," Brooke called just before she and Lucas headed out of the front door. "Oh wait. What about the invitations?"

"They're already in the cars too," Lucas told her. "Naley have a box and we have a box. Haley said we should just slip them into people's lockers during our free period."

"Haley is a genius," Brooke replied. "I never thought of doing that. And at least we know which locker is Jimmy's."

"That we do." Lucas said as he opened the car door for Brooke.

"Do you want to drive?" she asked.

"If you want me to then I will." he replied.

"Then you're driving," Brooke said as she moved around to the front passenger door. Lucas beat her and had it open for her. She giggled as he helped her into the car before he closed the door. He then headed to the drivers side and climbed in. After he had closed the door, Brooke leaned over and kissed him deeply. "I can get used to that in a morning."

"Me too." Brooke said as she smiled happily. Lucas gave her another deep kiss before he started the car and pulled away from the curb.

**~X~**

"So its Mouth's 18th on Wednesday?" Brooke asked Lucas as they finished posting the invitations into the lockers of the students in their year.

"That's right," Lucas replied. "Why?"

"Because it's Jake's the Wednesday after," Brooke told him. "We should do something for them at the party."

"That would be a good idea," Haley said as she and Nathan came up to Brooke and Lucas. "What if Karen made them a combined birthday cake?"

"Tutor Girl, you definitely are a genius," Brooke told her with a smile. "I'll ask her after school."

"So what we doing for lunch?" Nathan asked as he casually placed an arm around Haley's shoulders. "I could eat several horses."

"Well I don't think they serve that in the cafeteria," Haley told him as she shook her head at him. "You'll have to make do with whatever they're trying to pass off as food today."

"You guys coming?" Nathan asked Brooke and Lucas.

"No I have to go and sort something out," Brooke replied. "We'll grab a sandwich on the way back."

"What are you doing?" Nathan asked curious.

"I have to go and pay for some more decorations," Brooke replied. "I should have done it yesterday but as you know things happened. So I better pay it today otherwise I'll probably lose the decorations."

"Okay then," Nathan replied as he and Haley began to head towards the cafeteria. "I love having free period before lunch. It means we get there sooner and have a better choice."

"Brooke didn't you already pay the decoration guy?" Lucas asked once Nathan and Haley were out of earshot.

"I did," Brooke replied as she turned to him and smiled. "I was thinking we could go to my house or yours and we could do something besides eat."

"Really?" Lucas asked as he grinned widely.

"Yeah," Brooke told him. "I feel _really_ horny right now."

"Do you think we'll make it back in time for the end of lunch?" Lucas asked as he swallowed harshly.

"If we go to yours we will," Brooke answered. She then quickly added. "Actually scratch that idea. We'll just park up somewhere quiet in my car. Which means we'll have more time for the good stuff."

"I get to have sex with you in your car in the middle of the day when we're technically supposed to be at school?" Lucas asked in an incredulous tone.

"That's the plan." Brooke told him.

"Please tell me you have condoms." Lucas replied in a husky tone.

"I sure do," Brooke told him. "I made sure of it because I never want to have to say no to you Broody."

"That sounds great to me," Lucas said as he smiled even wider. "Can we go now?"

"Somebody's eager." Brooke said in amusement.

"How can I not be when it comes to you Pretty Girl?" Lucas told her. Brooke's heart flipped as he spoke. "Besides it's kind of a fantasy I have to have my way with you in a car."

"Let's go then." Brooke said as they began to head towards the school parking lot.

"Where we going anyway?" Lucas asked as they walked out of the door.

"There's a little dirt road just off Battleship Road not too far from the river court," Brooke began. "There's a nice little secluded area where we can have some fun."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just go back to one of our houses?" Lucas asked in an amused tone. However, Brooke could tell that he was obviously worried about getting caught in the car.

"It takes under ten minutes to go where I have in mind," Brooke replied. "It takes over fifteen to get to either of our houses. Besides, what about that fantasy you have?"

"So you're wanting the possibility of getting caught for the sake of about six minutes?" Lucas asked as he chuckled. "And I won't even ask how you know that. As for the fantasy we can always do that at night."

"We can do a lot in six minutes Lucas," Brooke told him as they reached the car. "You should know that already."

"Secluded wooded area it is then," Lucas replied as they climbed into the car. "Maybe we could get some food with those extra six minutes?"

"Maybe," Brooke said with a chuckle as she started the car. "Let's see if I can beat my record and get there in less than eight minutes."

"Well just don't get stopped for speeding okay?" Lucas replied. "That's the last thing we need right now."

**~X~**

"Jimmy looks a little pissed." Owen said as he grinned. He was with Rachel, Nathan, Haley, Jake, Peyton, Chase, Mia, Clay, Quinn, Mouth, Millie, Julian, Lindsey, Skills and Bevin. They were all gathered around a table in the cafeteria as they ate their lunch.

"He's probably sulking because he didn't get an invitation." Julian said as he chuckled.

"Like he deserves one after what he said." Chase said as he glared at Jimmy who was sat at a table by himself.

"Where are Brooke and Lucas?" Lindsey asked as she looked at the two empty seats where they usually sat.

"Brooke said she had to go and pay for some decorations." Nathan replied.

"No she doesn't," Quinn said as she frowned. "She gave me the money to go and do it for her. I paid it all in advance."

"She's probably humping Lucas somewhere," Rachel said. She looked at Owen and grinned as she added. "That would be a good way to spend lunch huh?"

"It would," Owen agreed. "Unless I was absolutely starving."

"Seriously?" Rachel asked in a shocked tone.

"Yeah," Owen replied with a smile. "Sometimes a guy actually wants food more than sex."

"It doesn't happen regularly though." Clay added with a grin causing the others to laugh.

"I can't wait to tease Brooke when she and Lucas come back." Bevin said as she giggled.

"Don't you mean _if_ she and Lucas come back?" Mia corrected.

"They'll be back," Nathan told them. "Lucas will make sure they are."

"Seriously?" Jake asked in a surprised tone. Peyton gave him a jealous look as he did.

"Incredibly yes he will." Nathan answered.

"Damn Lucas has some control." Julian said in an impressed tone.

"Can we change the subject?" Haley asked.

"Yes can we?" Millie added.

"We don't even know that's what they're doing," Mouth said. "She might have to pay the guy at the decoration store."

"If Brooke is off paying the guy at the party store then I'm a girl." Skills said as he snorted with laughter.

**~X~**

"I told you those six minutes would come in handy," Brooke said to Lucas as she pulled back into her parking space and turned the car off. "Now we have those six minutes to get to class."

"That has to be the craziest lunch I've ever had in my life," Lucas said as they climbed out of the car. Brooke set the alarm as Lucas came to her side and wrapped an arm around her waist. "You look at tousled and flushed."

"I feel it," Brooke replied with a laugh as they hurried towards the school entrance. "Do I look a mess?"

"No you look sexy," Lucas told her as he opened the door for her. "You have a glow about you."

"What a severely satisfied glow?" she asked as they headed towards the classroom.

"I think that's one name for it," Lucas said as he chuckled. "Do I look okay?"

"You look very, very sexy Broody," Brooke told him as she gave him a wink. "Although now I kind of wish that I'd had more for lunch than the hot snack of Lucas in the car."

"Whose fault is that?" Lucas whispered against her ear as they walked into the classroom.

"Did you have fun at the party store Brooke?" Rachel asked with a knowing smile.

"Uh yeah," Brooke replied as she sat at her desk. Lucas made his way to his own. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you look like you had a great time." Peyton said as she eyed Brooke's appearance.

"What did you have for lunch?" Nathan asked as he grinned. He then whispered. "Lucas?"

"Maybe I did," Brooke replied in a whisper of her own as she blushed. "I bet it won't be long before you're having Haley for lunch."

"Now there's a thought," Nathan said in a dreamy tone. He was still talking quietly enough so that the others couldn't hear. "I can't wait to get me a taste of Haley."

"I'll let you into a secret," Brooke said in the same quiet tone. "You're gonna love the toga party."

"I am?" Nathan asked intrigued. Brooke nodded. "I can't wait!"

"You're gonna have to," Brooke said as she smiled. "But it'll be worth the wait."

**~X~**

"Are you sure your mom doesn't mind me being in your room now she knows we're dating?" Nathan asked Haley as they had a breather from their make out session.

"Surprisingly no," Haley replied. "When I went down for the soda I asked her the same thing. She grossed me out with her reply though."

"Why what did she say?" Nathan asked as he stroked her back.

"That she remembered what it was like to be young and in love," Haley replied as she pulled a disgusted expression. "She then said it was around the time she got pregnant with Edward."

"He's your eldest brother right?" Nathan asked as he frowned in thought.

"Yeah he is." Haley said as she smiled.

"What did you say to that?" Nathan asked as he kissed her forehead.

"I told me mom that unlike her and my dad that we have self control in that area," Haley told him. "I also said that she'll have to wait until after I've finished college and got established in my career before I gave her any Grandchildren."

"I can live with that." Nathan replied before he realized what he had let slip. Haley looked up at his face in surprise.

"What does that mean?" she asked quietly. She hoped it meant what she thought it did.

"It means that I can actually picture having kids with you Haley," Nathan replied sounding as surprised as Haley felt. "And it kind of scares me. I've never pictured myself as a dad before. Yet with you I can. In the future of course."

"Wow, I never thought I'd see the day." Haley replied still sounding surprised.

"Me neither," Nathan replied with a sigh. "I've had a lot of growing up to do just lately and I think that's making me think about the future."

"Have you thought about college?" Haley asked.

"The plan was for me to go to Duke, but I don't know if that was my dream or Dan's," Nathan told her. "And going off my grades a basketball scholarship is the only way I'm getting to college now. Somehow I don't think Dan will pay my college fees."

"Duke huh?" Haley asked causing Nathan to look down at her with a quizzical frown.

"What college do you want to go to?" he asked.

"I've applied for Stanford," Haley told him with a sigh. "I've wanted to go there for as long as I can remember."

"That's over the other side of the country," Nathan said as it dawned on him that their dream colleges were thousands of miles apart. "Maybe I should check out the basketball program at Stanford."

"It won't hurt right?" Haley replied. "And I can check out the courses at Duke."

"You'd do that?" Nathan asked in an incredulous tone.

"Yeah," Haley admitted. "It doesn't hurt to keep your options open right?"

"No it doesn't," Nathan replied as he smiled. "Now do you want to make out some more before dinner?"

"But of course." Haley told him milliseconds before their lips joined again.

**~X~**

"You have the bedrooms ready for the people that are staying over after the party already?" Lucas asked as Brooke came into her bedroom. He was already lounged on her bed as he read his book.

"I sure do. Besides this one obviously," she replied as she climbed onto the bed. She then straddled his lap as he rolled onto his back. "I'll have a few treats waiting for you on the day of the party."

"I can't wait," Lucas said as he smiled. Brooke grinned down at him in response as she began to grind her hips against him. "Damn Brooke, you carry that on and we're gonna be late for dinner with my mom and Uncle Keith."

"It'll be worth it though right?" she asked before she leaned down and kissed him passionately. She pulled away a few minutes later when her lungs screamed at her.

"Not that I'm complaining but what's gotten into you today?" Lucas asked as he stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

"Honestly I don't know," Brooke replied as she frowned slightly. "I just woke up horny and seemed to have stayed that way all day."

"Even after lunch time?" Lucas asked in surprise.

"Even after lunch time," Brooke said as she grinned widely. "You know we were totally busted by our friends' right?"

"I thought we would be," Lucas replied as Brooke led down next to him. "It was pretty obvious what we'd done with how we looked."

"You suit the rumpled, ravished look." Brooke told him as she stroked a hand over his shirt covered torso.

"You look better than me with that look," Lucas told her. "By the way did you find your bra?"

"No I forgot to look," Brooke said as she giggled. "Remind me to check before we head to your place."

"You know I was thinking," Lucas began. "Why don't you keep some clothes at mine? That way you can stay over more."

"I'm sure your mom would love that Luke." Brooke replied as she snuggled against him.

"I don't think she'll mind after what you told her yesterday." Lucas said as he kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her.

"Well in that case, I'll pack a bag before we head to yours," Brooke told him sounding a little sleepy. "I like the idea of snuggling with you like this all night. Your house feels more like home to me than this place does."

"Is that the only thing?" Lucas asked with a slight chuckle. He turned serious as he added. "I'm glad it feels like home to you Brooke. You're welcome there anytime."

"Maybe and thank you Broody," Brooke replied. "I suddenly feel very sleepy."

"You always do when you're snuggled up to me like this." Lucas remarked.

"You're way better than sleeping pills Luke." Brooke said as she nuzzled against his chest.

"I don't know if that's a compliment or not." Lucas said as he frowned.

"It's a compliment," she told him with a giggle. "Especially from me. It means you make me feel safe."

"I'm glad I make you feel safe," he said as he kissed her forehead and stroked her back. She yawned as he did. "If you're tired you should sleep instead of trying to seduce me."

"I can't believe I've gone from being insanely horny to almost asleep," she said as she frowned. "You must have tired me out more than I realized at lunchtime."

"I think it's the lack of food," Lucas suggested. "You should eat extra at dinner tonight to make up for it."

"Don't worry I will," Brooke told him. "As long as you do too."

"I will," he promised as he kissed her forehead once more. "Now you just get some sleep. I'll wake you up before we have to leave."

"Make sure you give me enough time to pack and make myself look presentable." She replied.

"I will. Now sleep."

**~X~**

"Have you got enough stuff there?" Lucas asked in an amused tone as he saw the luggage on Brooke's bed.

"Is it too much?" Brooke asked in an uncertain tone as she emerged from the closet.

"I'm just messing with you," Lucas said as he chuckled. "Come on, we should get going and pick the pizza up."

"I thought your mom was cooking?" Brooke asked as she watched Lucas pick the bag with her clothes in off her bed. She picked up the smaller one that had her toiletries and hair things in.

"She was going to but my Uncle Keith called while you were in your closet deciding what to put in this seriously heavy bag," Lucas replied with a grin. "He asked me to pick the pizza's up on the way home. The café was obviously really busy today for my mom to change her mind about cooking."

"What type of pizza are we having?" Brooke asked as they headed down the staircase and to the front door.

"We are having your favorite," Lucas told her. "My mom and Uncle Keith are having their usual and Nathan's eating at Haley's."

"What size did you order?" she asked as they went out of the door and to the car.

"I got an extra large one so we could make up for not eating at lunch time," he told her as they put the bags into the trunk. "Well not eating food anyway."

"Lucas!" Brooke said as she giggled and climbed into the car. Lucas copied her actions. "Oh crap I almost forgot to look for my bra."

"Do it another time," he told her. "We need to go get the pizzas. I'm _really_ hungry."

"I'll do it while you're in the pizza place getting the food," Brooke told him. "Now drive."

**~X~**

"Anybody would think that you hadn't eaten since breakfast the way you're both demolishing that pizza." Karen said to Brooke and Lucas as they ate their pizza ravenously.

"I'm just _really _hungry," Brooke replied through a mouthful of pizza. "And this is _so_ yummy."

"Mmm it is," Lucas agreed. "And it tastes better hot so you have to eat it fast."

"I have to agree with Lucas on that one." Keith added.

"I do as well," Karen told him. She then smiled as she said. "I've just never seen pizza devoured as fast before."

"You've obviously never seen Nathan eat it then." Brooke and Lucas said in unison causing Karen and Keith to laugh.

"I take it it's quite a sight?" Karen asked as her laughter died down.

"Only if you want to be mentally scarred," Lucas replied. "But it does make you appreciate table manners more."

"I'll keep that in mind." Karen said.

"So mom not that I'm complaining but how come we're having pizza tonight?" Lucas asked.

"Well I was going to cook but I was busy working on an idea I had." She replied.

"Which was?" Lucas coaxed when she didn't continue.

"I was thinking of opening a club." Karen told him.

"A club?" Lucas asked in surprise.

"A club as in a place to go and dance?" Brooke asked.

"Yes that type of club," Karen replied with a smile. "It would be an all age's one as well. Keith and I were going over the finances to see if we could afford it and we can."

"That's a great idea!" Brooke said in a happy tone. "Tree Hill needs something like that."

"It does," Lucas agreed. "So when are you going to get the ball rolling?"

"I was going to make an offer on a place tomorrow." Karen told him.

"Where?" Brooke asked curious.

"There's a building on the corner of Front Street and Marsteller Street," Karen replied. "It's perfect for the idea."

"We checked it out earlier, that's why we're having pizza." Keith added.

"Do you need any help with anything?" Lucas asked.

"We'll need help with a lot of things," Keith told him. "We're going to do most of the clearing and decorating ourselves to save on labor. So if you and Nathan can help out with that part it would be greatly appreciated."

"Of course I'll help," Lucas told him. "I'm sure Nathan will too."

"And I'm sure the other guys will too," Brooke added. "Just like us cheerleaders will."

"Thanks Brooke," Karen told her with a smile. "We need all the help we can get."

"Well I'll tell Nathan when he gets home that he doesn't have a choice." Lucas said as he grinned.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Brooke said as she eyed the last piece of pizza. Lucas copied her actions.

"Let's split it," Lucas said as he picked the piece up and tore it in half. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Brooke said as she took it and eagerly ate it. Karen and Keith's shook their head in amusement.

**~X~**

Brooke sleepily made her way back towards Lucas's bedroom after finishing in the bathroom. She wished that she had thought to turn a light on when she stubbed her toe on a table leg. She cursed to herself quietly as she reached Lucas's door and was thankful she had left it open. She went inside and quietly closed the door, before she headed over to the bed. She could see Lucas bathed in moonlight that seeped through a gap in the curtains and smiled as she saw how peaceful he looked. She then climbed back into bed and led on her side so that her back was to him.

After a few moments she felt Lucas move and then his arm came round her so that his hand rested on her belly. She smiled and snuggled back against him. He then moved his hand upwards and brushed her hair back from her face and neck, before he began to kiss her neck. His hand stroked back down her front and rested on her belly once more. Brooke made a purring noise as he continued to kiss her neck and made his way to her lips. She turned her head slightly so that he could have better access and his lips immediately covered hers. They kissed for a few minutes before they pulled away.

"Sorry did I wake you?" Brooke asked softly.

"No," he replied as his hand crept under her tank top. She grinned as he continued to move it higher. "I woke up because you weren't here."

"Aww that's sweet," Brooke said. She then gasped as his hand cupped a breast. "But are you sure you didn't wake up because you're horny?"

"That could have been part of it," Lucas replied with a smile. "What about you? How are you feeling?"

"Sleepy," Brooke answered with a smile of her own. "But you're having an affect on me doing what you are with that hand that's under my shirt."

"I hope it's all good." Lucas said as they moved. Brooke rolled onto her back and Lucas stayed on his side.

"Oh it's very, _very_ good," Brooke replied before she kissed Lucas briefly. "But it'll get even better once we're both naked."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Lucas asked as Brooke moved her hands to the hem of his t-shirt.


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy the update!**

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><p>"Wow you guys got a lot more done already than what I thought we would get done for the entire day," Keith said as he saw the inside of the building that would house the new club. "I'm impressed."<p>

"Thanks Uncle Keith." Nathan replied as he grinned. He, Lucas and the rest of the basketball team had been working hard all morning to clear the place of the trash and debris. They had emptied half of the immense floor space.

"The sooner we get it cleared and renovated the sooner we can party here," Clay said as he wheeled a wheelbarrow full of rubble past Keith, Lucas and Nathan. "Are you gonna have a VIP area in this place?"

"I'm not sure," Keith said as he laughed slightly. "Do you think we should?"

"Oh definitely," Julian agreed as he took a breather and found his bottle of water. "A very large VIP area so we can always hang out in it."

"I'll make sure to pass that onto Karen," Keith said as he chuckled again. "But I have a feeling Brooke may have already suggested that to her."

"Brooke would have thought of everything." Jake said as he grinned.

"Yep she definitely would." Owen added.

"How long are the girls going to be with lunch?" Chase asked as he rubbed his rumbling stomach.

"I thought that they would have been here already," Keith replied. "Where are Skills and Mouth? I thought they were helping out."

"Skills had to go and help his dad with something and Mouth is running late," Lucas told him. "He slept in."

"That's unlike Mouth." Keith said in a surprised tone.

"He said he didn't get a lot of sleep last night," Lucas said as Mouth came running into the building. "Speak of the devil. Here he is."

"Hey sorry I'm late." Mouth said as he rushed up to them.

"You're here now. That's what matters," Keith replied. "I'm just going to go and use the restroom."

"You'll be pleased to know that they're working Uncle Keith." Nathan told him. Keith chuckled to himself as he headed in the direction of the restrooms.

"So what kept you awake last night?" Lucas asked. "You were kinda weird on the phone this morning."

"Millie stayed over," Mouth told him. "You _can't _tell my parents. Or hers."

"Did you get lucky last night Mouth?" Nathan asked with a smirk. Mouth blushed in response. "You totally did."

"Don't say anything to Millie," Mouth pleaded. "I told her I wouldn't brag about it."

"Mouth you didn't brag," Lucas told him. "Nathan just seems to have a knack for finding that type of stuff out."

"Just don't say anything to her." Mouth insisted.

"We promise," Lucas told him. "I'll get Haley to make sure that Nathan keeps his mouth shut."

"How are you going to do that?" Mouth asked worriedly.

"By sticking hers to his." Lucas said with a chuckle.

"That will work," Nathan said as a noise by the door caught his attention. He grinned widely as he saw Haley. "I'll go and attach my mouth to hers _right _now."

"Here's your lunch Broody." Brooke said as she handed him a ham and cheese sandwich wrapped in cling film that Karen had made.

"Thanks," Lucas replied as he grinned. He and Brooke then shared a gentle kiss as Mouth diverted his eyes. "I think I'll enjoy kissing you more than the sandwich."

"Okay I'm going to go over there," Mouth said as he pointed to a random corner. "Away from you two."

"Are we that repulsive?" Brooke asked as she kinked her eyebrow.

"You could never be repulsive Brooke Davis," Lucas told her as he grinned and unwrapped his sandwich. "You could be covered in pus infested boils and still be beautiful to me."

"Eeww," Brooke said as she pulled a disgusted expression. "Only you could talk about pus infested boils while eating and not want to puke."

"Is there a drink to go with this?" he asked changing the subject.

"Yes. You have a choice of banana milk or chocolate milk." Brooke told him.

"Chocolate please Pretty Girl." He replied.

"Now that's more like it," Brooke told him as she chuckled softly. "I'll just go get you your shake."

"Make sure you wiggle that ass for me while you're walking." He told her quietly as she turned to walk over to where they had placed the things they had brought from the café. As she walked she exaggerated the sway of her hips for Lucas's benefit. His gaze was glued to her butt as she walked.

"Enjoying yourself?" Owen asked Lucas with a chuckle surprising Lucas. It caused him to choke on his sandwich and Owen slapped him on the back.

"Thanks," Lucas replied as the piece of sandwich dislodged itself from his windpipe. "And yes I was. How come you're not all over Rachel yet? She's been in the building way longer than five minutes."

"I'm saving it all up for the party on Saturday," Owen told him as he grinned. "She told me I had to because she's got something planned."

"I hope that you two aren't in a room near Brooke's." Lucas said as he frowned slightly.

"No they're not," Brooke said as she sauntered back over with Lucas's chocolate milk and one for herself. "Rachel and Owen will be in the room that has the hot pink bed linen that's near the stairs."

"So our usual one then?" Owen asked in amusement.

"But of course," Brooke replied. "The couples that will be in the two rooms who share walls with my room are Julian and Lindsey and Mia and Chase. I think this party will be the first one where all the bedrooms will be occupied."

"How many bedrooms does your place have again?" Lucas asked.

"Well including mine there's nine," Brooke told him. "My parents bought it because it had all those bedrooms because they were going to have business meetings and dinner parties where the guests would stay over. Yet they still have to host one. They're too busy traveling around."

"At least it's good for Brooke Davis parties," Owen told her. "And this one is going to be epic."

"God what does Rachel have planned?" Brooke asked as she kinked her eyebrow.

"X-rated shenanigans with my hot boyfriend," Rachel said as she came up to them. "Owen here has to wait until the party before he gets anymore of my hot body."

"When did you decide that?" Brooke asked in a shocked tone.

"Last week." Rachel replied as she handed Owen his lunch.

"Like you two will stick to that!" Brooke said as she chuckled.

"So far so good," Rachel told her with a smile. "I thought seeing as though I wasn't allowed to do my idea for the commando thing, I'd do this other thing with Owen. So we're determined not to have sex until Saturday."

"Wow what was that?" Brooke asked as she leaned her head to the side slightly.

"What?!" Lucas, Rachel and Owen asked in response.

"I think I just heard hell freezing over." Brooke told them, causing Lucas to laugh loudly.

"Whatever," Rachel said as she flipped her long red hair over her shoulder. "Is there anywhere to sit in here? I want to eat my lunch."

"We can sit on the stage," Owen told her as he took hold of her hand. "Come on."

**~X~**

"Earth to Brooke." Karen said, finally cutting Brooke out of her daydream.

"Huh? What?" Brooke asked as she moved her attention from a shirtless Lucas to Karen.

"Do you think the bar would be better in the middle or against a wall?" Karen asked. They and the rest of the girls were sat on the stage area planning the interior design of the club as the guys continued to clear the place.

"Um middle." Brooke replied as she cleared her throat.

"We thought that we were going to have to throw a bucket of ice water over you to get your attention then." Lindsey said as she laughed.

"Sorry I was kind of zoned out there." Brooke murmured.

"I wonder why?" Mia asked as she too laughed.

"Your eyes were practically glued to Lucas," Peyton added. "Just like Haley's are to Nathan."

"What's glued to Nathan?" Haley asked as she snapped out of her trance.

"Your eyes." Millie told her. Haley blushed as she did.

"Maybe we should go and do this at the house," Karen said as she tried not to laugh at the looks on Brooke and Haley's faces. "There's less chance of you girls getting distracted then."

"But they're good distractions," Rachel said. "We need to make sure that they're sticking to the health and safety regulations while working and wearing the correct safety gear."

"And them being all shirtless is the correct safety gear?" Quinn asked in an amused tone.

"Yes!" Rachel replied as she nodded causing the girls and even Karen to laugh. "I can't wait until I have Owen in a toga."

"I can't wait to the party in general," Bevin said finally joining in the conversation. "It's going to be awesome."

"What food did you decide on Brooke?" Lindsey asked.

"Well Karen and I decided on different varieties of mini pizzas, chips, dip, cupcakes, brownies and some sandwiches," Brooke replied. "That's all that tended to get eaten at the other parties, so I've cut everything else out and we're just having those."

"Sounds great to me," Peyton said. "That way we can have more of the food we actually like."

"My thoughts exactly Peyton," Brooke agreed. "So really all that's left to do for the place to be ready is to get the food there and set out and the drinks."

"Which we do on the day of the party." Haley said.

"Let's just hope that this Halloween party is better than last years." Brooke said as she looked at Haley. Haley gave her a reassuring smile as Peyton glared at her.

"I thought that this was just a party for everybody to get together and be the same?" Karen asked.

"It is that as well," Brooke said. "It just so happens to fall on Halloween, so why not combine the two?"

"Well we're done for the day," Keith said as he appeared behind Karen. "How are you getting on designing the interior?"

"We've got where the bar is going and the layout of where the tables and booths are going to go. The V.I.P area is sorted and the stage layout and the dance floor," Karen told him. "We just have the bathrooms to sort and the dressing rooms for any artists that perform here. Oh and the colors."

"Not forgetting a name for the place." Haley added.

"I'm sure we'll come up with a name no problem," Keith said as the rest of the guys made their way over to the stage. "There is plenty of us to help with that."

"I can't believe you guys got rid of all the rubble and trash in a day," Karen said as she saw the now empty and relatively tidy space. "The place looks huge."

""Lucas and I will start plastering once the electrician has put the wiring in," Keith told her. He looked at Millie and said. "Thanks for asking your dad to do that."

"You're welcome," she replied. "I'm sure it'll have perks for my dad somewhere along the way."

"You're right it does," Keith agreed. "Joe reckons he can get it done tomorrow, so we can start the finishing process on Monday evening. Nathan's going to be getting a crash course in how to plaster."

"Rather than a crash course in getting plastered." Julian added as he laughed.

"Shut up Julian," Nathan said as he swatted the back of Julian's head. "Go and hump Lindsey or something."

"That sounds like," Julian began. Lucas quickly elbowed him in the side and Julian changed what he was going to say. "It would be lovely."

"Did he seriously just say lovely?" Clay murmured to Quinn as he tried to hold his laughter in. Quinn nodded and Clay couldn't hold it in any longer.

"We should get home," Karen said as she gathered her paperwork together. Keith then helped her to stand. "I'm sure you all have places to be with it being Saturday and all. We appreciate your help today. Now go and enjoy yourselves."

**~X~**

"This is crazy," Lucas said as he kissed over the exposed skin of Brooke's torso. "Someone is going to catch us."

"Broody who else is going to be at the river court at this time of night?" Brooke asked. She then gasped as his lips found the hardened nub of her nipple. "And it's not stopping you."

"I just don't get why we can't go to your place and do this there," Lucas said after he had pulled his lips away from her chest. "Where it's warm and there's no chance of getting busted."

"Because my house is all ready for the party on Saturday," Brooke told him as his hand moved up and cupped the breast he had been teasing moments before. "And I have a surprise waiting on you there."

"I see," Lucas said as her eyes fluttered closed. "Can we at least get back in the car? Or do you have some fantasy where we go at it on the hood?"

"Maybe I do," Brooke said as her eyes opened and she smile devilishly at him. "After all you got to act out one of your fantasies about having me in the car."

"Yes but as you said that was _in_ the car not on it." Lucas reminded her as his eyes fell to her exposed chest. A gentle breeze blew the delicate fabric of her blouse as he gazed at her.

"Lucas it's almost one a.m. who else is going to be out here?" Brooke asked as she kinked her eyebrow at him. "I even wore a skirt for the occasion."

"I wondered why you got changed before we came out," Lucas said as he grinned. "And made a show of it."

"Come on Broody. It's more than obvious that you want to do this," Brooke said as she unzipped his jeans and slipped her hand inside. He let out a strangled groan as she gripped his length in her hand. "We _were_ told to go and enjoy ourselves."

"I don't think my mom had this in mind when she told us to do that." Lucas said in a strangled tone as she stroked him.

"Come on Lucas," Brooke coaxed. "Live a little Broody."

"I don't have any protection." He replied in a gasp.

"Check your jacket pocket," Brooke told him. He put his left hand into his pocket and pulled out several condoms. He looked at Brooke quizzically. "I put them in there before we went to the movies."

"You had this all planned huh?" he asked as he smiled. She nodded and bit her lip suggestively. Lucas groaned once again as she squeezed the tip of him. "Okay you've convinced me."

"Good." Brooke said as she smiled. He held one of the packets in his hand out to her.

"Do you want to do the honors?" he asked. She quickly took it and ripped it open as he put the remaining ones back in his pocket. He then unfastened his belt and the button on his jeans as she covered him and he lowered his jeans and underwear. "I can't believe we're actually going to do this."

"Stop worrying and just enjoy it," Brooke told him as she placed her hands on his ass and pulled her towards him. His hands moved up under her skirt and his eyebrows raised in surprise. Brooke giggled at his expression as she said. "I took them off in the bathroom after we ate."

"You're going to be the death of me Pretty Girl." he told her as he eagerly sought out her entrance. Both groaned as he began to sink inside her.

"You took your meds right?" she gasped out.

"Yeah," he replied in a moan as he filled her. "I will _never_ get tired of that feeling."

"Me neither." Brooke agreed before their lips joined in a heated kiss and Lucas began to thrust.

**~X~**

"What time do you two call this?" Keith asked as he flicked the light on in Lucas's bedroom. Brooke and Lucas looked over at the doorway from their spot by the outer door. To say that they were like rabbits caught in headlights was an understatement.

"Um, one thirty?" Lucas suggested. He had absolutely no clue.

"It's two fifteen," Keith corrected. "What took you so long getting back from the movies?"

"We stopped off for something to eat at an all night diner," Lucas told him as he swallowed. He hoped that Keith wouldn't guess what he and Brooke had been up to as they were still a little flushed. "We got talking and before we realized it, it was late."

"Plus I drove back slowly," Brooke told him. "I was taking extra care. I didn't want to crash."

"Okay I guess you're off the hook this time. I'm too darn tired to carry this on," Keith said before he yawned. "Just don't come in at this hour again. Got it?"

"Got it Uncle Keith." Lucas replied.

"Yep got it." Brooke agreed. Keith studied them a moment longer before he left the room and closed the door. Brooke couldn't help the giggles that spilled from her as he did. Lucas quickly placed his hand over her mouth to quiet them.

"Sssh." He said as he smiled and removed his hand.

"Sorry," she replied as she grinned. "I'm not used to this getting busted by parental figures thing."

"I'm just glad he bought the story," Lucas told her as he shrugged his jacket off. "I really didn't want to tell him what we'd really been up to."

"That would have been awkward," Brooke said as she laughed softly and began to undress. "All I can say is that it's a good thing I put more than one in your pocket."

"Yeah it is," Lucas said as he watched her intently. He let out a happy sigh as she stripped the last of her clothes off. "God I wish you could sleep naked here."

"Me too," Brooke agreed as she walked over to him. She gripped the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it upwards. Lucas obediently raised his arms as she pulled it over his head. She then turned it the right way round and slipped it on. She grinned as she said. "But I'll just have to wear this instead."

"That's a good look on you." Lucas told her in a husky tone as Brooke set about removing his jeans. He slipped his sneakers off moments before the denim pooled at his feet.

"Thanks," Brooke replied as she gave him a sultry look. "I can see you're raring to go again."

"I can't help it around you," he confessed. "I don't have any control over it. Plus the things you make me do make it worse. I'm like on fantasy overload."

"Oh you are huh?" she asked before she bit her bottom lip suggestively. She then turned and crawled onto the bed, giving Lucas a clear view under the t-shirt. She stopped and looked over her shoulder at him. "Do you have any fantasies about us in your bed left to fulfill?"

"A couple," he admitted as he dragged his eyes from her bare behind to her face. "I take it that's my cue to start?"

"But of course." she replied in a breathy tone. Lucas didn't waste another second before he joined her on the bed.

**~X~**

"Are we getting another round of food?" Nathan asked. It was the following Saturday and he, Haley, Brooke and Lucas were at the café for breakfast.

"More food?" Haley asked in a surprised tone. "You've had about three breakfasts already."

"Hales, it's the party of the freaking year tonight," he told her. "I need all this food to soak up any alcohol. Otherwise I'll be face down in a pile of vomit before I know it."

"And we don't want that at the party," Brooke said. She then gave Haley a knowing look and added. "Right Tutor Girl?"

"No we don't," Haley replied as she blushed and smiled shyly. Nathan grinned to himself behind his coffee cup as he brought it to his lips.

"How do you even have room for more food?" Lucas asked in a surprised tone. "I've had the same amount of food as you and I feel like I won't be able to move until next week."

"I always eat like a pig the day of an epic party," Nathan said after he had finished the remnants of his coffee. He grinned at Lucas as he placed his cup down and said. "And don't worry; Brooke will work all that food off you tonight I bet."

"I've been working it off him all week," Brooke replied before she realized it. Nathan chuckled, Lucas blushed and Haley's eyes widened in surprise. Brooke just shrugged as she said. "You know we're doing it so why should I be all shy about it?"

"I'm just glad my mom was in the back," Lucas said as he laughed nervously. "Her hearing that would have been almost as bad as the talk I had to have with Uncle Keith."

"Uncle Keith's face was a picture that day. Especially when I had to explain what certain things that I've done meant." Nathan said as he laughed. Haley glanced at him with raised eyebrows at what she heard. She briefly wondered what she was letting herself in for that night.

"Maybe you should have had your talk with him first," Lucas said. "That way what I said would have paled in comparison to your exploits."

"Surely the things Nathan has done can't be that bad?" Haley asked as she frowned slightly. Brooke couldn't hold her laughter back and Lucas remained quiet as he hid his grin behind his cup. Nathan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "What have you done?"

"Do you really want to know?" Nathan asked in a surprised tone. "Some of it is pretty out there."

"I'm not sure," Haley admitted as she saw the uneasy glance he gave to Brooke. "What's the worst thing you did?"

"What you mean crazy wise?" Nathan asked as he again shifted uncomfortably. Haley nodded and Nathan took a deep breath as he again glanced at Brooke.

"Was it that time you mentioned about the stripper and waitress?" Lucas asked causing Haley's eyes to almost fall out of her head.

"Actually no," Nathan murmured. "There's something dirtier and crazier than that."

"Seriously?!" Lucas asked as his jaw dropped.

"Yeah." Nathan replied as he frowned. Both Haley and Lucas then noticed just how quiet Brooke had gone.

"Does it involve Brooke?" Haley asked not sure if she really wanted to know the answer.

"Yeah," Nathan murmured. He took a deep breath before he blurted. "And the other cheerleaders. And the guys from the team."

"What?!" Haley and Lucas managed in shocked voices.

"It was after the end of last season," Brooke admitted. "Before what happened to me."

"We had a party at Julian's and we were all totally wasted and one thing led to another." Nathan continued.

"We were all in separate rooms," Brooke quickly added. "There was a lot of swapping and changing going on though."

"I wish I hadn't asked now," Haley said as she tried to process what she had been told. She looked at Nathan and asked. "You've had sex with every cheerleader on the squad?!

"Yes, but not that night," Nathan replied. He decided that it was best to be honest with her. "I did other things with some of the girls while I was uh, _recovering_."

"And I haven't done it with every guy on the team," Brooke said. "Just so we're clear. Nathan's _way_ more experienced than I am."

"Thanks Brooke." Nathan said as he rolled his eyes.

"What? I was only being honest," Brooke replied. "The only other guys I've had proper sex with on the basketball team are Jake and Owen."

"Does Peyton know?" Haley asked.

"I think she suspects," Brooke replied. "But she and Jake weren't together when that happened."

"Can we change the subject now?" Nathan asked. "I'm not very comfortable discussing this in here."

"You should go and get your next breakfast," Haley told him. "And I'll have some more too. I suddenly feel hungry."

"I could eat some more actually," Brooke admitted. "And I could murder a chocolate shake."

"Me and Nathan will take these plates to my mom and tell her we want more breakfast." Lucas said as he began to pile the empty plates up. He looked at Nathan and said. "You can carry the cups and glasses."

**~X~**

"Hey Rach!" Brooke greeted as she came down from her room dressed in her toga for the party. "Please tell me that you're not going to man the door and see how many of the guys are commando."

"Don't worry I'm not," Rachel assured her. "Only Owen will be getting strip search."

"Please don't do it on the front doorstep," Lindsey said as she joined them. "Hey Quinn."

"Brooke can I talk to you a second?" Quinn asked as she walked through the front door of Brooke's house.

"Sure." Brooke replied.

"In private." Quinn added.

"Oh," Brooke said. "Laundry room should be private."

"That'll do," Quinn said as she followed Brooke to the laundry room. They went in and closed the door. "Haley said she isn't coming."

"What? Why?"

"Because of Nathan's revelation earlier," Quinn told her. "When she got home from the café she barged into my room and asked me why I never told her that I'd had sex with her boyfriend."

"What did you say?" Brooke asked softly.

"I told her that it wasn't something you could just bring up in a normal conversation," Quinn replied "So now she's staying home."

"But she had plans with Nathan tonight." Brooke said.

"Haley thinks she won't be good enough for him," Quinn told her with a sigh. "She thinks he'll take one look at her naked and laugh before he runs for the hills."

"Nathan wouldn't do that," Brooke told her. "Especially to Haley. He's head over heels for her."

"That's what I said," Quinn said in a frustrated tone. "But it's like talking to a wall. I was wondering if you could go over and try talking to her. She might believe it coming from you."

"Sure I'll go over," Brooke told her. "Just keep an eye on Rachel for trying to perform random strip searches on people."

"She should get a job with airport security when she graduates." Quinn said as the two of them made their way out of the laundry room.

"Totally," Brooke agreed as she laughed. She then went over to the door to the coat room and opened it. She fished around in her coat pocket and pulled out her spare set of keys. "Right I won't be long. And when I get back I'll have Tutor Girl with me."

**~X~**

"Brooke what part of I'm not going to the damn party do you _not_ understand?" Haley asked as she opened her bedroom door. Brooke grinned as she stopped her continuous knocking on the door and walked into Haley's room.

"The not going part," Brooke told her as she turned to face her. "Quinn told me what you said."

"Well Quinn has a big mouth and the next time I see her I'm going to go and shove something in it to shut her up!" Haley rambled in reply. Brooke smiled in amusement.

"Look Haley, Nathan will _not_ do that," Brooke assured her. "Can't you see it that he's head over heels for you? I've never seen him like this before."

"What if that isn't enough?" Haley asked in a small voice. "After all the girls he's had I'm going to be the biggest let down for him."

"No you won't," Brooke assured her in a gentle tone. "Sure Nathan has had more than his fair share of action with the ladies, but it didn't mean anything to him."

"How can you be sure?" Haley asked. "What about when he's been with you?"

"I can be sure because he has never treated a girl the way he treats you. Not even me," Brooke told her. "He practically worships the ground you walk on Hales. The other girls only got his interest while he was banging them if they were lucky. As for me and Nathan our arrangement was convenient. That's as far as it went sex wise. Other than orgasms there wasn't any other type of feelings involved."

"But I don't know anything that way," Haley told her with an exasperated sigh. "I'll let him down."

"No you won't," Brooke replied. "If anything you'll make it better for him."

"How?" Haley asked. The disbelief was clear to hear in her voice.

"From my experience with Lucas it's so much better when it actually means something and isn't just done for the sake of it," Brooke told her. "Nothing that I've done in the past compares to now. Before it was like there was something missing. Now I know what that was."

"You love Lucas don't you?" Haley asked as she raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Yeah I do," Brooke admitted as she smiled. Haley could tell that she meant it. "Just like you love Nathan and Nathan loves you. That's how I know that you will _not_ let him down Haley. Trust me on this."

"Are you sure?" Haley asked still not sounding convinced.

"A hundred percent sure," Brooke told her. "I know Nathan better than anybody and I know that tonight will mean the world to him. Now what do you say about getting in your toga and getting your butt to my house?"

"I say it's a good thing I already did my hair and make up before I decided not to go," Haley told her as she managed a smile. "Otherwise I would be super late."

"Well hurry up and get changed and I'll take your overnight bag to my car," Brooke told her. "If you're not down in ten minutes, I'm coming up here and dragging you to the party how I find you."


	15. Chapter 15, Part 1

**Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews. Hope you enjoy this update!**

* * *

><p>"Where's Nathan?" Haley asked as Brooke showed her into the room that she would be sharing with Nathan.<p>

"He and Lucas haven't arrived yet," Brooke told her. "Lucas text me and said that they were having toga issues."

"Wow this looks great Brooke." Haley said as she saw how Brooke had decorated the room.

Brooke had hung white voile fabric from the ceiling and around the room, making it look like the inside of a marquee. Haley thought that it had a Grecian feel to it as she took it all in. She saw that Brooke had used gold accessories so that it matched the colors of their togas. She noticed that there were white rose petals scattered around the place and a fruit bowl that held bunches of grapes. Haley's eyes then fell on the shopping bag that was next to one of the night stands.

"What's in that?" Haley asked curiously.

"Some treats for you and Nathan to use while you have your own private party." Brooke told her as she grinned.

"I think I'll wait until Nathan arrives before I look in that," Haley said as she smiled in return. She then changed the subject as she asked. "Did Lucas say what their toga issues were?"

"No he didn't. We'll have to grill them later," Brooke replied. She laughed slightly as she added. "Maybe Nathan's freaking out over wearing what he'll call a dress."

"That wouldn't surprise me." Haley said as she laughed.

"So are you going to do the little idea you came up with on the way over here?" Brooke asked eagerly.

"I want to but I don't think I'll be brave enough to do that Brooke." Haley said in a quiet tone.

"You should do it Haley," Brooke urged her. "Nathan won't know what hit him. Hell I've never even done anything like that – oh wait yes I did with Lucas when I just had his t-shirt on the other night."

"How did Lucas react?" Haley asked.

"_Very_ well," Brooke replied as she gave her a knowing smile. "After he managed to tear his eyes away we had a _lot_ of fun."

"Maybe I should have a drink or something first just to give me the courage I need." Haley suggested.

"One drink won't hurt," Brooke told her. "I mean you'll want to remember this so you don't really want to get drunk."

"I _really_ want to remember this." Haley agreed.

"Well I'll go get you some liquor and you can adjust your costume so that you're ready for when Nathan gets here," Brooke told her. She grinned as she added. "And seeing as though it's a toga party we have tons of ouzo."

"I don't think I've ever had that," Haley replied. "What does it taste like?"

"It tastes of aniseed," Brooke told her. "It's pretty strong stuff, but one will give you that courage you need."

"Well hurry up then," Haley said. "Before Nathan gets here."

**~X~**

"We should do it." Nathan said to Lucas as he folded his arms.

"Are you insane?" Lucas asked as he frowned at his brother.

"Brooke and Haley won't expect it," Nathan pointed out. "It'll be a nice surprise for them."

"And what will it be for us if we have a wardrobe malfunction and end up flashing our entire year?" Lucas asked.

"Proof that we have nothing to be shy about." Nathan said as he grinned.

"I just don't like the idea of letting everything hang loose and risk flashing everybody." Lucas said.

"These togas cover way more than a basketball." Nathan pointed out as he chuckled.

"You have a point there." Lucas replied as he managed a smile.

"Come on we should do it." Nathan said once again.

"What is the big thing about me going commando under my toga anyway?" Lucas asked as he frowned.

"Because I don't want to be the only one doing it." Nathan admitted.

"Then don't." Lucas said as he chuckled to himself.

"But I want to surprise Haley," Nathan said. "Apparently she has some big thing planned for us tonight and I think it means that we're going to take our relationship to the next level."

"I see," Lucas replied as he processed what Nathan had just said. "And you want to give her easy access right?"

"Exactly," Nathan replied. "And Brooke will _definitely_ appreciate the easy access to your man parts. She can't keep her hands off you."

"I know," Lucas said as he smiled widely. "I love it."

"I bet you do," Nathan said as he laughed at the expression on Lucas's face. "So what's stopping you from doing this?"

"My dignity in case something goes wrong with my costume," Lucas reminded him. He then looked down at the toga he wore. "They don't seem overly sturdy."

"At least they're not see through," Nathan commented. "Come on Luke. If you do this I'll owe you."

"You'll owe me majorly." Lucas told him.

"You're gonna do it?" Nathan asked hopefully.

"Sure I'll do it," Lucas relented. "And it's mainly to shut you up. I'm sick of the whining."

"Are we going to do it once we get to Brooke's or are we going to leave the house sans underwear?" Nathan asked.

"Wow the tutoring is really paying off," Lucas remarked as he laughed. Nathan rolled his eyes in response. "I might take mine off in the car in Brooke's driveway."

"Good idea," Nathan agreed. "Now let's get going. I can't wait to see how hot Haley is going to look in her toga. I wonder if she'll be wearing any underwear."

"Shut up already." Lucas said as he rolled his eyes, picked his bag up and headed out of the doorway. Nathan quickly followed his actions.

**~X~**

"Rachel! Get your hands off my boyfriend!" Brooke yelled as she marched towards the redhead. Rachel's hands stilled their actions as she looked at Brooke sheepishly.

"So it's official then?" she asked as Lucas smiled widely. He was relieved that Brooke had stopped Rachel when she did.

"Yes," Brooke told her as she took hold of Lucas's hand. "So the only one who will be checking what is under his toga will be me. And anyway I thought I told you that you weren't allowed to do that?"

"You did but several guys actually requested it so I was only too happy to help." Rachel replied as she grinned cheekily.

"Does Owen know that you're performing cavity searches on the party guests?" Brooke asked causing Nathan and Lucas to laugh.

"Yep," Rachel replied as she flipped her curled hair back over her shoulders. She grinned as she added. "He's recovering from the cavity search I gave him with some of the goodies you left in our room."

"I really do _not_ want to know," Brooke replied as she grabbed Nathan's hand with her free one. "Come on guys let's get you inside."

"Where's Haley?" Nathan asked as Brooke guided him and Lucas into her house.

"Haley is upstairs waiting on you Nathan," Brooke replied as she grinned and let go of his hand. "You better get your ass up there now before you have alcohol."

"Why?" Nathan asked curiously.

"Don't ask just go," Brooke said as she pushed him towards the staircase. "You know what room the two of you are in so get up there."

"I'm going." Nathan replied as he began to head up the stairs. He was both curious and eager to see why Brooke had been so insistent on him going straight to the bedroom. Brooke quickly pressed a button on her cell phone before she placed it to her ear.

"Hales, he's on his way up there right now. He'll be there in a matter of moments," Brooke said into the phone. "Assume the position and good luck."

"What was that all about?" Lucas asked as she ended the call.

"I was helping Haley with something," she replied. She then asked. "Do you want to put your bag in our room?"

"_Our_ room?" he asked as he gave her a surprised look.

"It is tonight," Brooke told him before she kissed him deeply. Lucas was just getting into it when she pulled away. "Come on let's go put it upstairs. Then we can have some privacy before the party really gets going."

"Okay," Lucas replied before he and Brooke began to head up the staircase hand in hand. They reached the top and then headed towards Brooke's bedroom. Brooke led him inside and he closed the door behind them. He got an impressed look on his face as he took in what she had done to the room. It was identical to how she had done the room for Nathan and Haley. "This looks nice."

"Thanks," Brooke replied as she smiled. "I wanted it to look like a Grecian boudoir. I've done all the rooms the same."

"What's in the bag?" Lucas asked as he noticed it by the nightstand. She had placed them in all the same places.

"Treats for you," she said as she gave him a playful smile. He then placed his bag down at the foot of the bed. "Do you want to have a look at them?"

"Okay," Lucas replied. He crossed over to it and picked it up. He placed it onto the bed and looked inside it. He raised his eyebrows as he looked over at Brooke in surprise. "What's in there exactly?"

"Scented candles, massage oil, chocolate body paint, a blindfold, a silk scarf and some sexy lingerie," Brooke told him as she grinned. Lucas swallowed hard at what he heard. "And not forgetting the all important protection."

"Do you think candles are a good idea?" he asked as he tried to will his body to stay calm and not respond to the images that were going through his head.

"They're in tins Lucas so as long as they're not put near any material or get knocked over they should be fine," Brooke replied. "Plus I think that everybody will be going straight for the other stuff."

"What's the silk scarf for?" Lucas found himself asking.

"You'll just have to wait and see," Brooke said as she gave him a look that had his body responding instantly. She walked towards him as she held his gaze and he swallowed hard as she stopped right in front of him. "So Rachel was going to see if you had stuck to the dress code she added onto the invitations huh?"

"Yeah she was," Lucas replied as he grinned. "Her face was a picture when you yelled at her."

"Well she shouldn't have been going to manhandle my man should she?" Brooke asked. "So did you stick to the dress code?"

"I thought it was optional?" Lucas asked as he grinned.

"It is," Brooke replied as she returned the grin. "I was just curious."

"Why don't you check?" Lucas asked her in a whisper.

"I'm going to, don't you worry." Brooke told him as she placed her hand on the outside of his left thigh.

She kept her eyes on his as she stroked her hand upwards, taking the fabric of his toga with it. Lucas felt his breathing beginning to increase the higher her hand went. She grinned as she reached his hip and felt nothing but his skin. She bit her lip and kept her gaze on his as she moved her hand inwards and to his crotch. Lucas let out a noise that sounded like a cross between a gasp and a moan as she closed her hand around him.

"I'm glad that I stopped Rachel when I did," Brooke said as she teasingly stroked him. "Otherwise she would have gotten quite the view."

"So would everybody else." Lucas gasped out.

"Why exactly _are_ you wearing nothing under your toga Lucas?" she asked as she moved her lips to his ear. Her breath tickled the shell of his ear as she spoke.

"To shut Nathan up," he managed. "He was whining about wanting to surprise Haley and he said that you'd love it if I did."

"Huh?" Brooke asked as she frowned. "Why would you wearing no underwear surprise Haley?"

"No he wanted to surprise Haley," Lucas clarified. "He said you'd love it if I didn't wear anything under this."

"I see," Brooke replied as she grinned again. "He's right I do love it. Have you taken your meds?"

"Yeah I have," Lucas answered. His voice had a tinge of disappointment to it as she stopped her actions. "Why?"

"Do you want to have some fun before we go and join in the party downstairs?" she asked as she bit her lip. Lucas groaned as his eyes fell on her bottom lip.

"Hell yeah," he replied. "I _really _want to bite that lip."

"Well go ahead," she replied. "I'm all yours."

**~X~**

Nathan made his way down the upstairs hallway of Brooke's house, towards the room he and Haley were sharing. He found his feet picked up speed the closer he got. He was extremely curious about what Haley had planned for them and what would happen once he went into the room.

He reached the door and turned the handle. He grinned as he saw that a 'Do Not Disturb' sign had been placed on it already. He quickly went inside and closed the door behind him. He headed further into the room and stopped in his tracks at what he saw and dropped his bag.

Haley was on her hands and knees as she reached under a set of drawers obviously reaching for something. The thing that surprised him was the fact he had a clear view up Haley's toga and he could see that she had gone commando just like him. He was glad that it was him that had come into the room and nobody else.

"Uh Hales?" he asked as he finally found his voice.

"Yeah?" she asked as her heart pounded. She knew that he would be able to see everything and her face felt like it was on fire. She was glad she had drunk the alcohol that Brooke had brought her.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he coughed to clear his throat.

"I dropped my lip gloss and it rolled under here," she lied. She was surprised that her voice sounded normal. "I can't reach it."

"Oh I see," he said as he walked over to her. He debated whether to kneel behind her or to sit on the bed. He chose to kneel down beside her and was glad that Brooke's parents had chosen a thick plush carpet. "Do you have any idea how sexy you look like this?"

"I do?" she asked in surprise. She took a deep breath as she felt his hand stroke up the back of her thigh. She knew which direction he was heading in and bit her lip in anticipation.

"Hell yeah," he confirmed in a husky tone as his fingertips glided over the area that her underwear usually covered. Haled gasped as she felt him touching her there. "God I've wanted to touch you here for ages Hales."

"You have?" Haley asked.

She moved her arm out from underneath the bottom of the chest of drawers. She had her lip gloss clasped in her hand, where it had been the entire time. She let go of it and placed her hand flat on the floor as Nathan continued exploring her.

"Hell yeah," he repeated. "Are you in a rush to go down and enjoy the party?"

"Now you're doing that no I'm not," Haley replied. She was surprised that she could talk as her mind could only focus on Nathan's exploring fingers. "Why?"

"Because I was thinking that we could stay up here and do some sexy stuff." Nathan replied, not taking his eyes off where his hand was.

"Okay," Haley replied almost instantly. "But you have to promise me that you'll stop teasing me right now Nathan."

"I promise," he said as he pushed her toga upwards so that the skirt part went over her back. "What do you want me to do?"

"Surprise me," she told him. "Just don't tease me."

"Anything my girl wants she can have." Nathan replied as he set about obeying her wishes.

Slowly, Nathan slipped a finger into her and began to move it. Haley moaned in surprise as he did and closed her eyes so she could block everything out and just focus on his actions. She began to moan and they quickly grew louder until Nathan was sure that someone would hear her. He hoped that the music was loud enough to cover her.

"Faster!" she gasped.

Nathan let out a slight moan of his own as she moaned and pressed herself back against him. He complied with her request and began to move his hand faster as she gasped in ever decreasing intervals. He gently slipped another finger inside her and it proved too much for her.

With a final pump of his hand she came. Her flesh contracted forcefully against his trapped fingers, as she let out a moan louder than any of the ones before. Her arms then went limp and she collapsed onto her front on the floor.

After a few minutes, Haley seemed to have recovered enough to move. She moved so that she was knelt on the floor in front of him so that she faced him. She had a shy smile on her face that was flushed pink with her exertions.

"Are you okay?" Nathan asked as he grinned.

"I'm great," Haley replied. "That was pretty amazing. And I have a confession to make."

"What?" Nathan asked with a curious expression.

"I didn't really drop my lip gloss. I had it in my hand the whole time." She admitted.

"So this was a set up?" he asked as his smile widened.

"Completely," she replied as she grinned from ear to ear. She then gently pushed him down onto the floor. "Now it's your turn."

**~X~**

"Where the hell is Brooke?" Rachel asked Quinn as Peyton switched from a pop song to a dance track.

"She's probably upstairs with Lucas." Quinn replied as Clay appeared by her side and handed her a drink. He then wrapped his arm around her waist.

"They'll be having their own party," Clay said as he smirked. "Just like Nathan and Haley."

"They're still upstairs too?" Julian asked as he chuckled. "Man I can't wait until me and Lindsey have our private party."

"Where is Lindsey?" Jake asked. "You and her are usually glued to each other at parties."

"She's in the bathroom," Julian replied. "I think she went with Mia."

"Yeah she did," Chase confirmed. "Mia had a problem with her toga and needed Lindsey's help. I did offer my services but was told to calm down."

"I wonder why." Owen said as he laughed.

"Here you are," Rachel said as she saw Brooke and Lucas heading up to them. "I was beginning to think that you'd got lost like last Halloween."

"We got a little distracted." Brooke replied as she tried not to react to the mention of the previous Halloween. Lucas squeezed her hand reassuringly and she leaned against his side in response.

"I knew it!" Rachel said as she laughed.

"You have a very satisfied glow about you Brooke." Quinn told her with a cheeky grin. Lucas couldn't help smiling at her words.

"That's because I am." Brooke replied with a smile of her own. It caused Lucas's grin to grow wider.

"So did anybody actually not wear underwear under their toga or was it just me?" Rachel asked

"It's just you," Brooke said as she resisted looking at Lucas. He now wore a pair of boxers under his toga. "And I'm betting you made Owen go commando as well."

"That would be telling," Rachel replied. Owen shook his head as he raised his toga to show that he did indeed have underwear on. Rachel pouted as she saw. "But you promised that you wouldn't wear those."

"Well I wasn't comfortable without underwear while I'm wearing a dress." Owen replied causing the others to laugh.

"I heard that Bevin got Skills a shiny gold thong to wear under his." Jake said as he laughed. It caused more laughter to erupt within the small group.

"So did the whole year turn up?" Brooke asked changing the subject as Lucas wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

"Everybody except Jimmy," Julian confirmed. "And it's pretty awesome how we're actually all like clones."

"Trust you to mention clones." Brooke said in a playful tone. Julian chuckled as he winked at her.

"Well you know me," Julian replied. He and Brooke then shared a look that had Lucas intrigued. "And I'm thinking that the next party I throw will have a Star Wars theme."

"I could just imagine you as Princess Leia." Lucas whispered into Brooke's ear before he kissed her temple.

"I actually have that costume already so down boy," She replied in a playful tone as they grinned at each other. She then spoke louder as said. "So shall we get this party started properly?"

"Hell yeah!" they all agreed.

"Chase did you make your famous punch?" Brooke asked.

"But of course," Chase replied. "It's awaiting us in the kitchen. It should be nice and chilled now. I've had it in the fridge for about six hours."

"Let's get this party started." Brooke said as she gave Peyton the signal to change the track. Peyton did almost instantly and the small group cheered as their usual song to officially start the party blasted out of the speakers.

**~X~**

"Are you okay with that cake Millie?" Brooke asked as she and Millie carried a cake each. One was for Mouth and the other for Jake to celebrate their birthdays.

"Yeah I'm good thanks Brooke," Millie replied with a smile. "It was good of you to get Mouth a cake."

"You don't have to thank me Millie," Brooke assured her as she gave her a warm smile. "Just make sure you don't drop it. Karen went to a great deal of effort to make these."

"Don't worry I won't." Millie said as she laughed.

She and Brooke carried the cakes out through the space where the wall of glass usually was. Jake and Mouth were stood together by a table next to the pool. As they stepped out onto the paved area that surrounded the pool, the gathered students all began to sing Happy Birthday. Brooke and Millie joined in and the song came to an end just as they placed the cakes onto the table.

"Make a wish." Brooke told the two males. They both got a thoughtful look on their faces before they leaned down and blew their candles out in one swoop. Millie then kissed Mouth sweetly before they shared an embrace.

"Thanks for this Brooke," Jake said as he hugged her. "I know Peyton didn't do this."

"You're welcome Jake," Brooke replied as they separated. She then looked between Jake and Mouth as she asked. "Do you guys want to keep your cakes until tomorrow or do you want to cut them and share them tonight?"

"I'll save mine until tomorrow," Mouth replied. "I don't think there's enough to go around."

"Same here," Jake agreed. Brooke then went to pick his cake back up. "No it's okay Brooke, I'll go put it in your kitchen. You stay with your boyfriend before someone tries to manhandle him again."

"Okay," Brooke said as she kissed his cheek. "Happy belated birthday Jake."

"Thanks Brooke." He beamed as he picked the cake up and headed inside. Mouth and Millie followed him. Brooke then turned to Lucas and they shared a loving kiss, unaware of the death glare Peyton was sending Brooke's way.

**~X~**

"Okay I think it's about time for some more party games." Brooke yelled so she could be heard above the music. She was rewarded with a round of cheers.

"About time," Lindsey said in a playful tone. "There's only so much toga twister a girl can take."

"You have to admit though it was amusing watching the guys play." Brooke said as she giggled and linked her arm through Lindsey's. Mia went to Brooke's other side and linked her arm through hers.

"So what game are we going to play next?" Mia asked as they headed away from the area where the twister mat was laid out.

"I think it's a little early for I never," Brooke replied. "I don't think there's been enough alcohol consumed yet."

"Yeah you're definitely better waiting for that game." Lindsey agreed.

"I was thinking of maybe doing a modified version of musical chairs," Brooke replied as they headed into the lounge. "But instead of chairs us girls sit on the guys."

"They'll like that." Mia said as she laughed.

"I like that idea," Rachel said from behind them. "We should call it horse and rider."

"Trust Rachel to lower the tone again." Bevin said as she laughed.

"Okay guys get into position." Brooke ordered.

"That sounds familiar." Lucas said in a low tone so that only Brooke could hear.

She chuckled as she kissed his cheek. He, Jake, Owen, Julian, Clay, Chase, Skills and Mouth then moved to a cleared area in the corner that was by the coffee table. They stood there for a few moments as the debated on how they would sit.

"Any suggestions?" Owen asked Rachel when they all drew a blank.

"Sit on the coffee table," Quinn suggested. "It's sturdy enough."

"Good idea baby." Clay said as he grinned at her. Quinn beamed at him in response. The guys then moved the coffee table into position before they propped themselves on it.

"For once I'm glad that my parents insisted on buying stupidly heavy furniture." Brooke said to the gathered girls. They laughed in response.

"Do we sit on our boyfriends when the music stops or the guy that we're the closest to?" Millie asked.

"The nearest guy," Brooke replied. "It's fairer that way."

"So what does the winner get?" Rachel asked.

"The winning lady gets a golden leaf crown," Brooke replied as Lindsey held it up. "Although it's actually made of plastic."

"Gee that's the best prize I've ever seen." Bevin said in a playful tone.

"Well it was sticking with the theme of the party," Brooke told her. She then frowned as she counted the guys. "Hang on a second. We have eight guys and only seven girls. Two guys need to sit out."

"I'll sit out." Mouth said as he stood and moved away from the table. He wasn't entirely comfortable with the game.

"I'll sit out as well," Jake said as he stood. "Besides we'll need somebody to control the music. Seeing as though there's been nothing on since that last song ended."

"Where did Peyton get to anyway?" Mia asked.

"I have no idea," Jake replied as he and Brooke shared a look. "I'll go and hunt for her in a while. She's probably sulking or something. Let's get this game started."

Jake headed over to the small stereo that was tucked away in the corner and pressed play. Music blasted out instantly and the girls began to walk around the table. Jake kept his back to them so that he couldn't see what was happening. He pressed pause a few moments later and then turned round.

He saw that Millie was the one who was still standing. She looked relieved to be the one who was out and quickly headed to where Mouth was. He wrapped his arm around her waist and she cuddled up against his side. Jake then looked to see who was paired with who. Lucas had Lindsey in his lap, Owen had Mia, Julian had Brooke, Clay had Bevin, Chase had Quinn and Skills had Rachel. The girls stood and Skills moved away from the table. He grinned as he turned back round and pressed play.

At the end of the second round, Mia was the one who was out. Chase then left the game and Jake pressed play again. The third round saw Bevin leave the game and then Clay voluntarily left. The fourth round Lindsey lost and Julian left the table. Quinn lost the fifth and Owen left, leaving Lucas as the horse and Rachel and Brooke to battle it out to win. At the end of the last round that had a bit of playful shoving from the girls, Brooke was the winner.

"It's a fix!" Rachel said in a joking manner.

"You're just jealous because you didn't win." Brooke said from her spot on Lucas's lap.

"What game is next?" Quinn asked eagerly.

"What do you guys want to do?" Brooke asked.

"I feel a spot of truth or dare coming on." Rachel said.

"That could be interesting with all the new people," Julian replied. "And we can sit and drink."

"Where are we going to play it?" Lindsey asked.

"How about here?" Jake suggested.

"Good idea." Mia agreed.

"I'll go and get us some alcohol," Chase said. He then looked over at Owen. "Can you give me a hand."

"Sure." Owen replied as he and Chase headed towards the kitchen.

**~X~**

"Did you get what I asked for?" Peyton asked her companion as she leaned into the car through the open window on the front passenger side.

"I sure did," Xavier Daniels replied as he grinned. "Are you sure that you want to put all that stuff together? You know it could make them all go a little nuts right?"

"That's what I'm hoping for," Peyton said in a bitchy tone. "I want everybody off their heads so that Brooke's house gets trashed and hopefully her parents will punish her for it. Either that or everybody gets sick and never wants anything to do with her ever again."

"You really have it in for her don't you?" Xavier asked.

"Of course I do," Peyton said as she gave him a look that told him not to ask stupid questions. "She slept with my boyfriend behind my back on more than one occasion. The little slut needs teaching a lesson. Hopefully she'll be so out of her head she won't know who or what she's doing. Then her little thing with Lucas will be over and I'll have my revenge once and for all."

"I thought your revenge was when you substituted her morning after pill for an aspirin?" Xavier asked.

"Well it looks like that didn't work out how I planned," Peyton said as she sighed. "I was hoping that she'd end up pregnant with Nathan's baby so that would ruin her relationship with Lucas. But there's no hint of that."

"There's still time," Xavier told her. "And if she is pregnant taking in these drugs you're going to use might not be so good for the kid."

"Well that's a risk I'll have to take," Peyton said as she took the bag of powder from him. It contained the remains of several different types of pills that he had managed to get hold of and ground down. "You still good about getting your payment after it's kicked in right?"

"I am," he replied. "Do you still want me to wait?"

"Yes," Peyton replied. "I might need to make a quick getaway."

"You do know I want payment no matter what right?" he asked her. She nodded in response. "Good. And I might even let you keep your toga on while I get what you owe me. Now go before somebody notices that you're missing and comes looking for you."

"I'm going," Peyton told him. "So it should work in about twenty minutes from them taking it?"

"Yes. Now get back inside."


	16. Chapter 15, Part 2

**Thanks for the reviews. Here's part 2 of the chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Wow!" Haley said as she lay snuggled up to Nathan's chest. "That was just… wow."<p>

"It was," Nathan agreed as he stroked her naked back. "It's never been like that for me before."

"It hasn't?" Haley asked curiously.

"Nope never," he assured her as he kissed the top of her head. "Everything felt much more intense."

"I'm pretty new to this type of thing but that was just amazing," Haley said as she trailed imaginary patterns over his chest with the index finger of her right hand. "And to think I almost didn't come here tonight."

"What?!" Nathan asked in a surprised tone. "Why?"

"Because I was embarrassed about you seeing me naked," Haley confessed. "After what you told me at the café I thought that you would take one look at me and run a mile."

"Haley why would I do that?" he asked in an incredulous tone. He then moved so that he could look into her eyes. "You're beautiful Hales. Every single inch of you outside and in is so damn beautiful. The only time I'd be running a mile would be to get closer to you not away from you."

"Really?" Haley asked. Her heart sped up at his words and her stomach flipped.

"Really," He confirmed. "Haley what we just did was mind blowing. Even I haven't felt anything like before. It felt that amazing that I can't even find the words to describe it."

"Brooke said that I wouldn't let you down but I didn't believe her." Haley confessed.

"Do you believe her now?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah," she admitted. "I'm glad I came."

"Came how?" Nathan asked in a playful tone. Haley giggled as she realized what he meant.

"All the ways," She told him. "I guess we better go and show our face downstairs huh?"

"Not if you don't want to." Nathan told her.

"I think we should," Haley said as she sat up. The sheet pooled at her waist and Nathan eyed her hungrily. Haley let him and was surprised when she wasn't embarrassed. "And you should wear something under that toga."

"Don't worry I will," Nathan told her. "And if you insist on us joining the party, we should get ready and get down there now before I give in my urge to ravish you again."

**~X~**

"I love this idea of everybody writing down dares and truths so we can pick them out rather than make them up on the spot." Lindsey said as the last of the folded pieces of paper were placed in the relevant piles.

"Well I have a feeling that we may end up a little too drunk to make things up the further we get in this game." Brooke said as she laughed.

"What's going on here?" Nathan asked as he and Haley came up to the group. Haley was practically hidden behind Nathan's tall frame.

"Nathan!" Brooke said as she saw him. "Welcome to the party! Where's Tutor Girl? Did she _tutor_ you in sex ed?"

"I'm here Brooke," Haley said as she appeared at Nathan's side. She couldn't help but laugh at Brooke's words. She then quietly added. "And there may have been some tutoring but for the first time I was the student."

"Well Nathan can only really tutor in two subjects," Brooke told her in the same tone as she and Nathan sat down. "The other is basketball."

"So what's all this about then?" Nathan asked.

"Truth or dare my man." Clay replied in a gleeful tone.

"That pile of paper there are truths and the other dares," Rachel explained. "Because we'll more than likely be wasted within the next thirty minutes."

"Why what are we drinking?" Nathan asked.

"A little concoction that I made and decided to call Chase." Chase replied.

"You named your punch after yourself?" Skills asked as he sniggered.

"Hell yeah," Chase replied. "One day it'll be a household brand and I'll be rich."

"And I'll be a kept woman." Mia said as Chase wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Right so who is going to go first?" Bevin asked. Everyone glanced round at each other.

"I'll go first. And I think I'm going to do a dare," Brooke said when nobody volunteered. She then picked a piece of paper up from the dare pile. "Tie a member of the opposite sex's hands behind their backs and tickle them until they scream."

"That's mine!" Lindsey said as she laughed. "I thought I'd keep it clean."

"Who are you going to pick?" Jake asked curious. He hoped that it wasn't him.

"I'm not going to pick you because I want to keep that heart of yours safe," Brooke whispered into Lucas's ear. He rubbed her back in response. "I think I'm going to pick Julian."

"Is that because my girlfriend wrote that dare?" Julian asked as he shook his head. Lindsey laughed as Brooke gave him a wicked look, laughed evilly and nodded. "Let's get it over with."

A tie was produced and Brooke wondered where it had come from. Lindsey proceeded to tie him up and held onto his hands as Brooke began to tickle him. Julian tried not to react as long as he could but eventually had to drop the act as Brooke found an extremely ticklish spot. It only took moments before high pitched giggles came from him. The others laughed at the noises Julian was making. Eventually Brooke stopped her actions and sat back down beside Lucas as Lindsey untied Julian.

"I feel so violated," Julian said in a dramatic tone. He then looked at Lindsey and added. "You better make it up to me later baby."

"Don't worry I will." Lindsey assured him.

"Okay I'm gonna go now," Nathan announced. He debated for a few moments and picked a truth. "If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do?"

"Oh god!" Clay said as he laughed loudly. "This should be interesting."

"That's so easy to answer," Nathan said as he grinned. "I'd look like Haley and I'd spend the day in the shower enjoying myself."

"I think we'd all be our girlfriends for the day and do that if we had the chance." Owen replied as he laughed.

"I don't know whether to be flattered or appalled." Haley said as Chase handed her and Nathan a paper cup filled with his specialty punch.

"I think I'll go next," Lucas said. Brooke kissed his cheek and smiled at him as he leaned over and picked up a dare. "Call your mom and ask her if she believes in aliens. Mouth did you write this?"

"Yeah." Mouth replied as he laughed nervously.

"I can just imagine your mom's face if you did that," Nathan said as he laughed. "You so have to do it."

"What if I don't want to?" Lucas asked playfully.

"Darn it we should have had a pile of forfeits." Rachel said as she sighed.

"Don't worry I'm going to do it," Lucas said as a cell phone was handed to him. He recognized the cover and realized it was Mouth's phone. He dialed his house and it was picked up after two rings. "Mom is that you?"

"_Yes Lucas it is,"_ Karen replied. "_Is everything okay?"_

"Yeah everything is fine," he replied. He took a deep breath before he asked. "Mom do you believe in aliens?"

"_What?!"_ Karen asked in a shocked tone. "_Lucas are you okay? Have you been drinking?"_

"Mom I'm fine. No I haven't been drinking," he replied. The others sniggered at his reply. "We're playing a game and this is what I have to do."

"_Oh I see_," Karen replied in an amused tone. _"Do you want me to actually answer that question?"_

"That's entirely up to you mom. I was just told to ask you. It never said that an answer was required," Lucas replied. "And if you want someone to blame that would be Mouth."

"_Okay. Goodbye Lucas_." Karen said as she laughed to herself.

"Bye mom." Lucas said before they ended the call.

"What did she say?" Nathan asked.

"She said goodbye Lucas and hung up," Lucas said as he handed Mouth his phone back. "At least I did it."

"Me next!" Rachel said eagerly. "I want a dare and I hope I get mine."

"God I dread to think what she put." Quinn said as she rolled her eyes.

"That would be telling," Rachel said as she picked a dare up. "Spank someone. That's not mine. Owen show me the booty."

"That's mine actually," Clay admitted. Quinn gave him a shocked look. "What?!"

"Ow that hurt!" Owen said as Rachel lifted his toga and slapped his butt.

"I'm the queen of the bitch slap honey remember?" Rachel told him. "Have you been doing squats or something? Your ass feels different."

"I don't think so," Owen replied as he sat back down. "Unless I've been doing them in my sleep."

"I'm going next," Skills said and picked up a truth. "What TV show are you embarrassed about watching? Uh, that would be Sex and the City."

"Why the hell would you watch that?" Jake asked.

"I watch it with my girl," Skills told him. "Then we get to practice any sexy moves that we see in the show."

"I might have to watch that sometime." Nathan said as he grinned at Haley.

"Can we just get on with the game?" Mia asked. "We'll be here all night at this rate."

"Sure we can," Chase said. "I'll go next."

**~X~**

Peyton hastily stirred the second round of punch that Chase had made. She had just added the contents of the bag Xavier had given her and prayed that it would dissolve before anybody came into the kitchen and asked what she was doing. She had herself covered if that did happen. She had a bag of ice cubes perched on the same shelf and was going to use them as her excuse.

She smiled as she saw the last of the powder disintegrate into the liquid. She wondered what concoction Xavier had made when he had put the powder together. She knew that it would only be Brooke's elite group that would be drinking this and hoped that they would all feel ill after doing so.

She heard a noise behind her and quickly moved so that it looked like she was just adding the ice. She then grabbed the bag of ice cubes and closed the refrigerator door. She forced a smile as she looked at the student she remembered seeing around school before she put the ice cubes back into the freezer and hurried out of the kitchen.

**~X~**

"Chase did you add something else to this new batch of Chase-punch?" Brooke asked a little while later. "It tastes different to the first batch you made."

"I don't know, maybe," Chase said as he frowned. "I think I ran out of one type of liquor and substituted it with ouzo."

"You _think_?" Nathan asked with a surprised expression. "How much have you had to drink if you can't remember your recipe?"

"I can't remember that either." Chase replied as he frowned and looked at Mia.

"Aww you look so sweet when you do that." Mia said before she practically pounced on him and they kissed.

"You're pretty wasted aren't you?" Julian asked as Brooke hiccupped.

"Brooke pretty in everything she does," Lucas said as he pushed past Mia and Chase and made his way to Brooke's side. "I think Peyton tried to property me."

"What?!" Haley asked as Nathan burst out laughing. "Property you?"

"What the hell does that mean?" Nathan asked in a slur.

"Uh she said something about a cat." Lucas slurred. Haley gave him a confused look as Nathan laughed harder.

"A cat?" Brooke asked as she frowned. "She doesn't have a cat."

"I have a Catalano," Chase said as Mia kissed his neck. "I have a Catalano on most nights actually."

"Lucas you're not making any sense," Haley said as she tried not to let the fuzziness overtake her brain. "What have you been drinking?"

"Chase." Lucas replied. It set Nathan off in a new fit of laughter.

"You've been drinking Chase?" Haley asked as she tried to shake the image that Lucas's answer had put in her head. She was now a little tipsy too.

"That's the name of my punch Mrs. Nathan," Chase slurred. "We're all drinking Chase tonight."

"Oh I _love_ this song!" Mia squealed. She grabbed Chase's hand and began to pull him away from the others. "Come one. We are _so_ dancing to that."

"So what did Peyton say?" Brooke asked as she snuggled against Lucas.

"She asked if I wanted to go with her then there was something about a cat waiting outside." Lucas said as he frowned.

"Maybe she said cab," Haley suggested as she felt the fog creeping over her brain. "I think I'm drunk."

"I know I am," Nathan replied. "And I don't know how. I didn't have that much."

"Is it me or has this song been on repeat for like ever?" Rachel asked.

"I think it's on repeat," Jake slurred as he frowned. "Peyton left huh?"

"Uh huh," Lucas mumbled not moving his attention from Brooke. He moved his mouth to her ear and whispered. "I want you."

"Did you not get enough earlier Broody?" she whispered in response as Jake stood and made his way out of the room on unsteady legs.

"How can I ever get enough of you?" he asked as he placed his hand on her knee.

"Hey guys!" Jake yelled from the lounge doorway. They all looked over at him. "Everybody's gone. It's just us."

"What?!" Brooke asked in a shocked tone. "Why?"

"It's three thirty a.m." Quinn announced.

"Really?" Rachel asked in a shocked voice.

"Let's turn the damn music off and go to bed then." Nathan suggested in an eager tone.

"That my man, sounds like a plan." Clay said as he grinned.

"Let's get moving then." Owen said. They all stood on unsteady legs and began heading out of the lounge.

"Oh wait I need to close the wall." Brooke said.

She and Lucas then made their way over to the switch that controlled the wall of glass. She pressed it and they waited impatiently until it was closed. She then flicked the lights off before they left the lounge. She repeated the process throughout the ground floor, making sure that the doors and windows were secure, before she and Lucas headed upstairs to bed.

**~X~**

Jimmy stood outside of Brooke's house and stared at the building with an angry expression on his face. He hated how the entire year had been invited to this party yet he had been excluded yet again. He had been watching the house for a while and it had sounded like they had all had a blast. It made him hate each and every one of them even more; especially Brooke.

His attention was drawn to a figure dressed in a white toga as they moved quickly towards the house. It took him only moments to realize that it was Peyton. He frowned as he saw a car drive off without any headlights. His attention went back to Peyton as she quietly opened the front door, headed inside and closed it behind her. It was a matter of moments after that when he noticed that the lights were being turned off signaling that the party was well and truly over.

He took one last glance at the house before he turned and began walking away. His jaw set in a firm line as he began to plot on how he could get his revenge on the people he once classed as friends.

**~X~**

Lucas kissed Brooke passionately as he pushed her against the bedroom door. The force of them against the door caused it to close with a loud bang. Neither of them cared about the noise. Her left hand buried into his hair and her right went to his waist as his went to her waist and pulled her against him.

She moaned into his mouth as her body made contact with his and he let out a moan of his own in response. He kissed down over her neck, to her shoulders and then her collarbone. His fingers found the fastening of her toga and he made quick work of unfastening it. The white fabric then slipped down, revealing her torso to him.

He continued to move his lips downwards and ran circles over her now hardened nipples with his tongue. Brooke moaned loudly as he did and both of her hands buried into his blonde hair, encouraging his actions. All too soon for Brooke he stopped his actions and she let out a groan of frustration.

"Why did you stop?" she asked as she pouted. He grinned as he straightened and looked at her face.

"Because I want to get you on the bed," he replied. "And the sooner I do that then the sooner I can be inside you."

"Oh," Brooke said as she stopped pouting and smiled. "What are you waiting for then?"

He chuckled softly as he swiftly picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest as he did. He kissed her forehead as he carried her over to the bed. He then carefully set her down onto the inviting softness before he stood back slightly and gazed down at her.

"Comfy?" he asked as he grinned. She nodded as she watched him watching her.

"Very," she replied in a purr that sent a shiver of desire through Lucas. "I think you should lose your clothing before you join me on here."

"I'm going to," Lucas said as he shook his head. He hated the fuzzy feeling that felt like it was overtaking his brain. "You better get naked too."

"Don't worry I am," Brooke said as she began to take her costume off fully. "I don't know about you but my head is feeling kind of weird."

"My brain feels foggy," Lucas said as he slumped on the bed beside Brooke. He frowned as he added. "My heart feels like its racing and I don't know if that's because of you or what."

"It is?" Brooke asked in a concerned tone. All thoughts of ravishing him quickly left her head as she looked into his eyes and saw the worry in them. "Do you want me to call 911?"

"Let me lie down for a little first," he said as he frowned. He was feeling worse by the second. "It might help."

"Do you want me to help you?" Brooke asked.

"I think I can manage." Lucas replied as he maneuvered himself into a sitting position. He then landed in a heap on the bed. His head just made it onto the pillow. Brooke led on her side beside him so that she was facing him.

"Do you want me to get you anything?" she asked as she felt her eyelids getting heavy.

"Can you get me a cold flannel or something? I'm too hot." He replied as he closed his eyes. He began to take deep breaths to try and regulate his heartbeat.

"Sure." Brooke replied.

She sat back up and felt the room began to spin. She stood and made her way over to her bathroom slowly. She went inside and placed a flannel under the cold tap and turned it on. She let the tap run for a while and headed through another door into her closet. She then pulled on a pair of sweats and a tank top before heading back into the bathroom and switching the tap off. She wrung the flannel out and then headed back over to the bed. She sat beside his boxer shorts clad frame and carefully placed the flannel on his forehead.

"Is that okay?" she managed to ask. She just wanted to sleep.

"Uh huh," he mumbled. "So tired."

"Me too." Brooke informed him as she led beside him. She rested her head over where his heart was. She could feel the rapid beating of his heart as she did and felt her worry for him increase, as did her tiredness.

"I think I'll be alright in a minute," Lucas mumbled as his eyes closed. "I just need to sleep for a while."

"Me too." Brooke agreed as her eyes fluttered closed.

**~X~**

Brooke opened her eyes and groaned as she felt the pounding in her head. She saw light coming through her bedroom window and realized that it was probably still fairly early in the morning. She sat up and rubbed a hand over her face as she tried to ignore the pounding in her head. She got a sudden memory of what had happened the night before and she quickly turned her head to look at Lucas. Her brain protested instantly as did her stomach.

She scrambled off her bed as quick as she could and made her way to the bathroom. It seemed to take her forever before she reached it and she quickly collapsed to her knees by the toilet. Her stomach then emptied itself of its contents as she heaved painfully. Her brain protested with every movement.

Eventually she stilled and she slumped onto her back on the floor as she regained her breath. As she did she tried to get her brain from doing back flips inside her skull. After a few moments, she remembered Lucas and struggled into a sitting position. She stood, flushed the toilet and then quickly brushed her teeth. She then went back into her bedroom and back over to the bed.

"Lucas," she said as she sat beside him. There was no response so she shook him as she said. "Lucas wake up."

"Mmm," came the garbled protest. She breathed a sigh of relief as she heard it. She then gripped his wrist and checked his pulse. She smiled as she found that it was again normal. "I'm okay."

"I'm glad to hear it," she replied as he opened his eyes. She saw him wince as the light hit them. "I still feel like crap."

"Well I feel like crap but my heart feels normal again," he clarified. He then lifted a hand to his head rubbed his forehead. "What did Chase put in that punch?"

"I think Chase put what he usually puts in it," Brooke replied. "I think somebody else added their own ingredients."

"What makes you think that?" he asked as he looked at her in confusion.

"Because this is exactly how I felt the morning after last Halloween after my drink was obviously spiked," Brooke admitted. Her face grew paler as she added. "Oh my God! What if the person who did that to me last Halloween was here last night?"

"Hey Pretty Girl don't get upset," Lucas said as he sat up. He regretted doing it as fast when his head protested. "My head hated that."

"Mine did when I sat up," Brooke said as Lucas wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I'm glad that your heart feels okay. I was worried that there was something really wrong and it was bad."

"I'm fine Pretty Girl," he told her as he stroked her back. "I really shouldn't have had any alcohol though. My doctor told me to stay off it."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Brooke asked as she pulled back slightly and looked at his face. "Lucas that could have been _really_ bad. Even more so if somebody spiked the punch. Maybe we should get you to the hospital to get you checked out. I don't want you dying on me."

"I'll be fine Brooke. Really," he told her as he smiled at her. He raised a hand and gently stroked her cheek. "Honestly, if I thought that I needed a doctor I would go but I feel fine. I'll go to the bathroom and take my meds and then we'll go and attempt some food. How does that sound?"

"Okay I guess," Brooke replied. "Although I don't know if my stomach will handle food right now."

"Same here," Lucas admitted as he moved off the bed and headed towards the bathroom. Brooke stayed sat on the bed as she tried to get her brain to work. Lucas emerged a few minutes later and pulled on a pair of sweats that he retrieved from his bag. He then put a t-shirt on as he asked. "You ready to head downstairs?"

"Yeah," she replied. "As long as I can hold on to you."

"Of course you can," Lucas replied as she walked over to him. He wrapped his arm around her waist. "And when we get downstairs you just sit and I'll make the coffee."

"Thanks Lucas." Brooke replied gratefully as they headed out of her room.

**~X~**

"I can't believe that you really did it," Xavier said to Peyton as he drove her towards the hospital. "I didn't think that you'd have it in you."

"Yeah well I'm full of surprises," Peyton said as she grimaced and held the bleeding wound on her belly. "Just like that bag of shit you gave me last night."

"Hey you said stuff I couldn't get rid of was fine," Xavier reminded her. "I had old sleeping pills and some tamazepam."

"But nothing happened," Peyton told him as she scowled. "And the way you were talking about what was in that bag I was expecting all kinds of crazy stuff to happen."

"So sue me for false advertising then." Xavier said in an annoyed tone.

"And to think I let you do all that disgusting stuff to me." Peyton said as she pulled a repulsed expression.

"You had outstanding debts Peyton," Xavier reminded her. "In fact you still owe me a ton of money."

"I thought I was working that off by giving you what I could snag at the pharmacy?" she asked as she scowled.

"What you snag at the pharmacy is peanuts," Xavier told her. "That's why you pay me in other ways. So did you do that to yourself or did you piss Brooke off enough for her to do it to you?"

"I had to do it to myself," Peyton said as she sighed. "Brooke was comatose because of those pills and was cuddled up to her boyfriend."

"Couldn't you have just jumped him while he was out of it and film it or something?" Xavier asked. "Instead of stabbing yourself and framing her."

"Are you worried for me?" Peyton asked in a shocked tone.

"Don't flatter yourself blondie," Xavier scoffed. "I'm worried that you'll snuff it before I get what I'm owed from you nothing more."

"Well when Brooke is in jail for stabbing me I think I'll sue her for compensation," Peyton said as she smirked evilly. "Then you can have what I owe you. And I'll have got my revenge in the process."

"If you do crazy shit like this just because she slept with your boyfriend I'd hate to see what you would do if something major happened to you," Xavier said as he pulled up to the sidewalk outside the hospital. "You can walk from here. I'm not getting my car caught on the hospital cameras."

**~X~**

"Do you feel better yet?" Lucas asked as he finished his coffee.

"I feel a little better," Brooke replied as Nathan and Haley came into the kitchen hand in hand. "Morning Naley."

"Hey guys," Nathan said in a groggy sounding voice. "Is that coffee still good?"

"Yeah it is," Lucas replied as Haley sat beside Brooke. "You look how I felt."

"I don't know what was in that Chase last night but I'm never drinking it again." Haley said as she massaged her temples.

"It was spiked," Brooke told her. Haley gave her a shocked and questioning look. "This is how I felt the morning after last Halloween."

"Do you think it was the same person?" Nathan asked in a concerned tone as he brought him and Haley a coffee over.

"It might be," Brooke replied as Lucas took hold of her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "It kind of creeps me out that there's that possibility."

"I'm not surprised," Haley said in a sympathetic tone. "At least Lucas was here to keep you safe."

"I know and I'm glad," Brooke said as she took a deep breath. She was beginning to feel emotional "I'm not going to cry."

"Cry if you want to," Nathan told her softly as the doorbell went. "I'll go and get it."

"I can't believe that there's a chance that the monster that did that to you could have been here last night." Haley said as she shuddered. Nathan then stepped into the kitchen followed by two police officers.

"Uh Brooke, the cops want to talk to you." He said as he frowned. She gave him a confused look before she looked at the officers.

"What can I help you with?" she asked.

"Are you Brooke Davis?" one of the officers asked her.

"Yes I am." Brooke replied feeling confused.

"Brooke Davis you are under arrest for assaulting Peyton Sawyer," the officer said as the second one produced a set of handcuffs. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights I have just read you?"

"Yes but what the hell are you talking about?" Brooke replied somehow managing to regain her composure. Lucas, Nathan and Haley stared in shock.

"Please stand ma'am." the second officer told her. Brooke reluctantly did and she was quickly handcuffed.

"I don't get why you're arresting me," Brooke said as she was led out of the kitchen. Lucas snapped out of his stunned gaze and followed. "I haven't seen Peyton since last night. Nathan call my dad and tell him what's happened."

"I will." Nathan called back as Jake reached the bottom of the stairs.

"What the hell?" he asked.

"Apparently I attacked Peyton," Brooke told him as she rolled her eyes. "I must have done it in my sleep."

"What?!" Jake asked in a shocked tone. "I don't believe her. I'll sort it."

"Don't worry Brooke," Lucas told her. "We'll prove that you didn't do it. I promise."

"I hope so Broody," she said as she gave him a scared look. "Make sure Nathan calls my dad."

"I will." He promised as he watched the officers take Brooke out of the front door. He and Jake then shared a worried look before they went back into the kitchen where Nathan was busy making phone calls.


	17. Chapter 16

**Thanks for all the reviews! Sorry about the delay in posting this chapter, things have been a little hectic just lately. Hope you enjoy the update.**

* * *

><p>"Hello?" Karen asked in a sleepy tone as she answered the phone.<p>

"_Mom are you up yet_?" Lucas asked.

"No I've only just woken up," Karen replied. "Why?"

"_I need you and Uncle Keith to meet me at the police station."_ Lucas explained.

"What?!" Karen asked as she sat up in bed. Keith opened his eyes as she did. "Why?"

"_The_ _cops arrested Brooke this morning. Peyton is saying that she assaulted her_," Lucas explained in a rush. "_But Brooke couldn't have done it because she's been with me since yesterday. So I need you to be with me at the police station so I can give them my statement_."

"Okay honey we'll meet you outside the police station as soon as we can," Karen assured him. "Has anyone contacted her parents?"

"_Nathan's_ _trying to get hold of them now_," Lucas replied. "_But he'll have more luck getting to speak to the President than them_."

"I take it they're hard to get hold if then?"

"_Yeah_," Lucas said as he sighed. "_Look mom I'm gonna go. That way you and Uncle Keith can get over there faster_."

"Okay Lucas," Karen says. "We'll be as quick as we can."

"_Bye mom."_

"Bye Lucas." Karen said as they ended the call. Keith sat up and looked at her curiously as she did.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Brooke's been arrested for assaulting Peyton," she began. "But she's been with Lucas since yesterday. Lucas wants to give the police a statement; thus giving her an alibi."

"Do you think he's lying?" Keith asked as he frowned. "He seems pretty besotted by Brooke. And I kind of get the impression that he would do anything the protect her."

"No I don't," Karen replied. "I know Lucas and I know when he's lying. He's telling the truth about Brooke."

"So Peyton must be lying then," Keith said. "That doesn't surprise me. I heard Nathan and Lucas talking one day and did you know that Peyton had to go to rehab for a drug problem?"

"She did?!" Karen asked in an alarmed tone. "And she's working in a _pharmacy_? Do you think that they know?"

"I doubt it," Keith replied. "I bet she's kept quiet about that one."

"Poor Brooke. I can't imagine what she must be going through right now," Karen said in a sad tone. "Come on let's hurry up and get ready. The sooner this nonsense is sorted out the better."

**~X~**

Brooke sat alone in the cell she had been placed in. Her clothes had been taken for forensic analysis and she was now dressed in bright orange items that resembled scrubs. She had her knees bent with her arms resting on them. Her head then rested on her hands as she cried.

She couldn't believe that Peyton had lied and concocted the story that she had. According to what Peyton had told the police, she and Brooke had run into each other in the kitchen when they had both gone to get some water. They had had heated words and then Brooke had flipped and stabbed her with a knife that had been lying on the counter top. Brooke has asked the detective what she was supposed to have flipped out over and hadn't quite been able to believe her ears.

Peyton had told the police that she and Lucas had hooked up at the party the night before after Brooke and Lucas had had a huge fight. Peyton had then said that that had been the reason Brooke had stabbed her.

Brooke's mind then went back to when she had been "processed" before being put in the holding cell. Having her mug shot, fingerprints and DNA taken had been bad enough. But then she had been strip searched by a female officer, who she had nicknamed Man Hands, to add to her humiliation. The whole experience had left her feeling as vulnerable and violated as she had the previous Halloween. It made her even more determined to get her revenge on Peyton for making up false allegations once everything had been cleared up and she had been released.

**~X~**

"Hey," Peyton greeted as Jake walked into her room at the hospital. "I didn't expect to see you."

"Why not?" Jake asked as he closed the door.

"I thought you would have gone to see your precious Brooke in jail." Peyton replied in a bitchy tone.

"I came straight here when I heard that you'd been assaulted," he told her. "What happened?"

"That bitch Brooke stabbed me, that's what happened." Peyton told him.

"Why?" Jake asked as he sat in the chair at the side of the bed.

"Because we got in a fight over you," Peyton blurted as she glared at him. "And the slut told me that the two of you slept together while I was in rehab."

"_What_?!" Jake asked as his eyes widened. He knew that Brooke would never have told Peyton that and wondered how she knew. "Where did the knife come from?"

"She was slicing a bagel," Peyton told her. "I grabbed her hair and she swung round and stabbed me."

"Then what happened?" Jake asked.

"She obviously panicked," Peyton began. "I had my eyes closed so she probably thought I was dead. But I saw her hiding the knife in the trash can under the sink before she ran out of the kitchen."

"It happened in the kitchen?" Jake asked as he frowned.

"Yes why?" Peyton asked.

"Well there was no blood or anything on the floor," Jake told her. "Surely there had to have been some blood."

"Maybe Brooke cleared it up when I got out of there." Peyton replied.

"How did you get to hospital?" Jake asked.

"I got a cab," Peyton told him. "Why?"

"Because you should have come and woke me up and I would have brought you." Jake told him.

"Well I wasn't thinking straight," Peyton told him. "I just wanted to get to the hospital. There was a cab dropping someone off over the road so I jumped in it and he brought me here. He didn't even charge me the taxi fare."

"It just doesn't make any sense," Jake said as he frowned. "Brooke isn't a violent person."

"God she's got you guys wrapped around her little finger hasn't she?" Peyton asked in a sneer. "And I also noticed that you didn't deny that you and her slept together."

"What did Brooke say about us sleeping together?" Jake asked. He knew that this would be the part where Peyton would leg herself up.

"It was the night I went into rehab and you were in bits, so she comforted you the only way she knew how," Peyton replied. "That's why when I called both of you from the rehab place I couldn't get hold of either of you."

"Really?" Jake asked as he gave Peyton a look she couldn't read. "And you told the cops all this did you?"

"Yes I did," Peyton replied. "And that's why she's where she belongs."

"I need a drink," Jake said as he stood. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Okay." Peyton replied as she watched him walk out of the room.

She smirked to herself as he did. With him not correcting her about her theory made her think that she had hit the nail on the head in what had happened between him and Brooke. She resisted the urge to laugh as she realized that the policeman by her door might hear her and wonder what was going on. Plus it would also hurt her to do so. She was glad that she had come up with the extreme idea so that Brooke could pay for sneaking around with Jake behind her back.

**~X~**

"Do you think that me giving that statement will help Brooke?" Lucas asked as he, Karen and Keith came out of the back part of the police station.

"I'm not sure Luke," Keith replied honestly. "It might."

"Why would Peyton lie?" Karen asked as they sat on the seats in the waiting area.

"Because she's jealous of Brooke," Lucas replied as he sighed. "And not right in the head."

"Where are her parents?" Keith asked.

"At some business thing in New York I think," Lucas replied as he tried to remember. "Brooke says that they travel around so much that it's hard for her to keep up with where they're at."

"Thank God for cell phones huh?" Karen asked as she managed a small smile.

"Yeah," Lucas replied. "I wish they'd let me see her."

"We'll see her soon," Karen told him. She then frowned as she asked. "Have you taken your medication today?"

"Yes," Lucas replied. "I took it before me and Brooke went down to the kitchen for coffee. Which is a good thing considering what's happened today."

"I wonder why they were asking you if there was anything that seemed out of place in the kitchen," Keith said in a thoughtful tone. "I wonder if that's where Peyton is saying Brooke attacked her."

"Probably," Lucas replied. "I just remembered something. Peyton cornered me in the hallway and asked me to leave the party with her and I told her no. She said she had a car waiting on her outside. I didn't see her again after that actually and the same song was on repeat."

"Tell the detective," Karen urged as she saw him come out of the back area. She stood and went over to him. "Excuse me Detective Hargrove, but my son has just remembered something from last night's party involving Peyton."

"Really?" Andy asked. He looked over at Lucas and saw that he was making his way over to the two of them.

"Yes," Lucas said as he reached them. "She cornered me in the hallway and asked if I wanted to leave the party with her. She said that she had a car waiting outside. Although at the time I thought she said cat."

"I see," Andy replied as he bit back a smile. "Is there anything else you remember?"

"Yeah. I didn't see Peyton again that night and the same song was on repeat after that. She was supposed to be in charge of the music." Lucas told him.

"Interesting," Andy said as he frowned slightly. "Let's go and add that to your statement. Are you okay to come through Ms. Roe?"

"Sure," Karen replied. She then turned to Keith. "Are you waiting out here or coming through to the back?"

"I need to go and put more money in the parking meter," Keith replied. "I'll wait for you both at the car."

**~X~**

"Thanks for picking us up Nathan," Victoria Davis said as she climbed into the back of his car. "And meeting us."

"Yes thank you." Richard Davis agreed as he sat in the front passenger seat.

"You're welcome," Nathan replied as he pulled away from the pick up point at the airport. "I'm just glad that I managed to get hold of you guys. And that you came here."

"Of course we'd be here," Victoria replied. "Brooke needs us to prove that she's innocent."

"I tell you when we're done, Peyton Sawyer is going to wish that she hadn't even thought up this little scheme of hers," Richard said in an angry tone. "I know that we haven't really been there for Brooke, but nobody is going to accuse her of something like this and get away with it."

"Brooke will be glad to hear that," Nathan told him. "She has an airtight alibi as well."

"What is it?" Victoria asked. Nathan glanced in his rear view mirror and caught Haley's eye. She nodded slightly.

"She was with my brother the whole night." Nathan replied.

"Your brother?" Richard replied as he frowned slightly. It then vanished when he realized who Nathan was on about. "You mean Karen Roe's son Lucas?"

"Yeah," Nathan replied. "I'm now living with him, Karen and Uncle Keith."

"How come?" Victoria asked curiously.

"Let's just say it wasn't working out with Dan Scott," Nathan replied. "Roll on my eighteenth birthday."

"I see," Victoria replied. "And is Lucas willing to state that he was with Brooke when Peyton reckons she attacked her?"

"Yes he is," Nathan assured her. "He's down at the police station right now giving his statement."

"I just hope the lawyer is waiting for us once we get to the police station." Victoria said in a worried tone.

"Don't worry honey, he will be." Richard assured her. They then rode the rest of the journey in silence.

**~X~**

"Have you charged her yet?" Peyton asked Andy as he came into her room. Jake was behind him.

"I need to ask you some further details before we make the decision to charge her or not." Andy replied.

"Do you want me to leave?" Jake asked.

"That's up to Miss Sawyer." Andy replied.

"No Jake you can stay," Peyton told him. "What do you need to ask me?"

"I just need to ask you a few questions about the knife that Miss Davis is alleged to have used on you," Andy began. "What type of knife did you say it was?"

"It was a bread knife." Peyton replied.

"Are you sure about that?" Andy asked as he gave her a firm look.

"Yes." Peyton replied.

"And where did the knife end up?" Andy asked.

"In the trash can in the garage." Peyton told him. Jake gave her a questioning look.

"That's not where you told me she put it," Jake said. Andy looked at Jake curiously. "She told me that Brooke put it in the trash can under the sink in the kitchen."

"Really?" Andy asked as he turned his attention back to Peyton. "That's interesting. But none of those locations were where the knife was left were they Miss Sawyer?"

"I have no idea what you're on about." Peyton replied as she shifted uncomfortably.

"So you don't know how the knife got into one of the ornamental shrubs at the front of Miss Davis's house?" Andy asked.

"No." Peyton replied. She didn't sound very convincing.

"Well it's a good thing that a witness has come forward to explain how then," Andy said. Jake could tell that he wasn't happy. "According to them, you were spotted putting the knife there yourself. Now can you tell me why you would hide a piece of evidence and lie?"

"If you lied about that then who's to say that you're telling the truth about what happened for you to get stabbed?" Jake asked in a pissed tone. "I know that you're lying about Brooke supposedly telling you about us sleeping together. And if you were anything close to being a friend to her then you would know that too."

"How can I be lying?" Peyton challenged. Andy watched the exchange between them curiously. "The stab wound is real."

"You probably did that yourself," Jake told her in an angry tone. "I wouldn't put it past you."

"That's an interesting theory," Andy said as he butted in. "And after speaking to the doctor about the injury you sustained, questions have been raised about the angle of the knife."

"What do you mean?" Peyton asked. She hoped that she didn't sound too worried.

"The angle of the wound doesn't fit with what you said happened," Andy told her. "Can you go over what happened one more time?"

"Me and Brooke ran into each other in the kitchen when I went to get some water," Peyton began as she tried to remember what she had said. "Brooke asked me where I'd got to the night before so I told her where I was and who I was with. She saw the knife on the counter top, picked it up and stabbed me."

"And who did you tell her you were with?" Andy asked as he took notes.

"Lucas." Peyton mumbled. Jake glared at her as he heard what she said.

"Is that Lucas Scott?" Andy asked.

"Yes," Peyton replied. "Don't tell me. He's denying all knowledge of it isn't he?"

"Of course he would," Jake said, unable to stay quiet. "Because you weren't with him last night were you Peyton? You disappeared for most of the party and then crept into my room just after three thirty this morning. And you told me that you and Brooke were fighting about me. You're just lying to get some kind of revenge on Brooke when she's done nothing to you."

"Is this true?" Andy asked. "Are you lying?"

"Fine I'm lying," Peyton said as she rolled her eyes. "Yes I made the whole thing up and I stabbed myself. Are you happy now?"

"So we arrested an innocent girl and wasted police time because you concocted a little story?" Andy asked as he tried to keep his anger in check. There was nothing he hated more than people wasting his time. "And all because you were jealous?"

"Yes," Peyton replied in a pissed off tone. "You caught me out. But the bitch deserved it. You can just release the whore and everything can go back to normal."

"That's where you're wrong," Andy told her. Peyton glanced at him and looked a little worried. "You do realize that we don't take wasting police time lightly. Everything won't go back to normal for you Miss Sawyer. It's only just begun."

**~X~**

"Where are my daughter's clothes?" Victoria demanded as she glared at the police officer who had brought Brooke out from the holding cell.

"They're evidence ma'am." The officer replied.

"In case you haven't heard my daughter is innocent," Victoria began in an icy tone. "That girl lied so there is _no_ evidence. You will go and get her clothes immediately or we'll sue you for causing unnecessary suffering. There is no way my daughter is leaving this building in what you've dressed her in. She is _not_ a criminal."

"I'll go and check for you ma'am." The police officer replied as he quickly hurried away.

"Wow mom I'm glad I wasn't on the end of that," Brooke told her. "You do realize that he's a newbie too. You probably put him off his career."

"I don't care," Victoria said. "They don't need to keep your clothes. There's no case against you."

"I'm just glad that Jake managed to get Peyton to confess that she was lying," Brooke replied. "And that Lucas stood by me the way he did."

"Have I met this other Scott boy before?" Victoria asked.

"No I don't think you have," Brooke replied. She smiled as she added. "You'll like him mom. He's great."

"Are you blushing?" Victoria asked in an amused tone. Brooke's smile widened and she nodded.

"I _really_ like him mom," Brooke told her. "I like him a _lot_."

"I can tell," Victoria replied as she smiled. "I've not seen you act like this over a boy before. I hope that you don't do anything stupid with him Brooke."

"Like what?" Brooke asked as she frowned.

"I think you know the answer to that question Brooke," Victoria replied as she gave her a pointed look. "I hope the two of you are careful if or when you take your relationship to the next level."

"_Mom!_" Brooke whined as her eyes went wide. "I can't believe that you said that."

"Well I just want you to be prepared," Victoria told her. "You're too young to make me a Grandmother."

"God mom can you just please stop talking?" Brooke asked as the door to the room opened. The police officer came through holding an evidence bag that had Brooke's clothing and footwear inside.

"If any of the clothing is damaged you will be hearing from our lawyer," Victoria said as he handed Brooke her clothing. "Is there anywhere that my daughter can change?"

"I'll show you where the bathrooms are," the officer replied. It was clear to see that he wanted to get away from Victoria as soon as he could. "Once you're changed you're free to go."

"It's about time," Victoria said as she and Brooke followed the officer out of the room. "I'll leave you to get changed in peace Brooke and me and your father will meet you in the waiting area. I need to go and see what he and Cooper are doing."

"Okay mom." Brooke replied as she headed into the female bathroom. Victoria then stomped down the hallway and the police officer breathed a sigh of relief.

**~X~**

"Brooke!" Lucas said as he jumped up from his seat and rushed over to her. He enveloped her in a tight embrace and kissed the top of her head.

"You don't know how good it is to see you right now." Brooke said as she buried her head against his chest.

"I can imagine," Lucas replied. "Because it's sure good to see you. I was worried that the cops were beginning to think that I was making it up about you being with me all night."

"I'm just glad that Jake got Peyton to confess," Brooke said as she moved her head to look up at him. "It was so horrible in there. I don't think I'd be able to cope being locked away for a long time."

"Hopefully Peyton will be," Lucas said as he stroked her hair. "I can't believe she would go to the extremes she did to try and get you out of the way."

"Me neither. I thought she was my friend," Brooke replied. "But I think it's down to the intervention we did and then sending her off to rehab. I think she blames me. And then there's her jealousy over me helping Jake with Jenny when she was born."

"That still doesn't justify her actions," Lucas said. "I hope she gets punished severely for what she's done to you."

"Oh don't worry she will be," Victoria said. Brooke and Lucas turned to look at her. "I'm guessing you're Lucas."

"That's me." Lucas replied a little awkwardly.

"Luke this is my mom Victoria and my dad Richard," Brooke said as she introduced them. "Mom, dad this is Lucas Scott; my boyfriend."

"It's nice to meet you." Lucas said in a nervous tone.

"And you," Victoria replied as she gave him the once over. "It was good of you to stand by Brooke like that."

"I was only being honest." Lucas replied. There was then an awkward silence.

"Can we get out of here?" Brooke asked. "I've seen enough of this place to last me a lifetime."

"I'll call a cab." Richard said as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

"Brooke's car is outside," Lucas said. "I used it to get here."

"Let's go then," Brooke said as she took hold of Lucas's hand. "I need to go and have a shower. This place has made me feel so gross."

**~X~**

"Where's Lucas?" Brooke asked her parents as she walked into their study later that day.

"He had to go home," Victoria told her. "His mother called to tell him that dinner was ready. We were invited but we have a lot of work to do."

"Oh," Brooke said in a disappointed tone. "What are we doing for dinner?"

"Your father and I are just going to order some take out," Victoria told her not looking up from the paperwork in front of her. "So you'll have to do the same."

"How long ago did Lucas leave?" Brooke asked.

"About twenty minutes or so," Victoria replied. "Nathan came and collected him."

"I think I'm going to take Karen up on her invitation for dinner," Brooke said. "You don't mind do you?"

"Not if that's what you want to do," Victoria replied. "Just remember that you have school tomorrow."

**~X~**

"I've been wanting to do this all day," Brooke said as she and Lucas lay snuggled up together on his bed a little while after dinner. "Everything seems so much better like this."

"It does," Lucas said as he stroked her back. "How are you feeling?"

"Relieved, pissed, embarrassed." Brooke rhymed off.

"Why are you embarrassed?" Lucas asked.

"Because I had to be strip searched at the police station," Brooke told him. "And Man Hands was _very_ thorough in her searching."

"Man Hands?" Lucas asked in a confused tone.

"The police officer had hands like a man which made the whole experience even more unpleasant." Brooke told him.

"Can they do that?" Lucas asked.

"Apparently so," Brooke replied. "Because I was arrested for a violent crime."

"Do your parents know?"

"No I haven't told them." Brooke admitted.

"Maybe you should tell your mom," Lucas suggested. "Surely that would be good for you in the case against Peyton."

"Case against Peyton?" Brooke asked as she frowned.

"Yeah your parents are going to sue Peyton for what she did," Lucas told her. "They told me while you were in the shower. So when the police have finished punishing her for what she did, she'll have another legal matter from your parents."

"Wow I didn't expect that," Brooke replied. "I can't wait to see Peyton's face when that happens. The bitch deserves it after what she's done."

"She does," Lucas agreed. "Jake said that he was going to get to the bottom of it when he found out what had happened. I was torn between going to confront Peyton and telling the police your alibi."

"I'm glad you gave me my alibi," Brooke replied. "I just hope it didn't cause that heart of yours too much stress."

"Don't worry I was fine," Lucas assured her. "I took my medication."

"Good," Brooke told him. "I'd hate for anything to happen to you because of that bitch. If she'd have caused you to end up in hospital I'd have gone to wherever she's being kept in there and actually done what she accused me of."

"That's good to know in a way." Lucas said as he chuckled lightly.

"Well Peyton can do whatever the hell she wants to me, but you're a whole different matter," Brooke told him. "She's not going to do anything that causes you any harm and get away with it."

"It's good to know that you care about me so much," Lucas said as he kissed her forehead. "And I feel the exact same way about you. That's why I made sure to let the police know that you were with me all evening and the whole night."

"I wish I could stay here tonight," Brooke said. "I really want to stay snuggled up to you all night."

"Then why don't you?" Lucas asked.

"Because my parents are back," Brooke replied. "They wouldn't approve of me staying over here."

"I could always sneak over to see you." Lucas suggested.

"That's a great idea," Brooke replied as she smiled and sat up. "But wouldn't your mom and Uncle Keith wonder where you are tomorrow?"

"Well we can just leave yours early and you can have breakfast here," Lucas told her. "I'll sneak in my room using the side door and you can distract them by knocking on the front door or something."

"That sounds like a plan," Brooke replied. "Great thinking there Luke."

"Well it kind of sucks not getting to sleep with you every night." he replied.

"That it does," she told him. "So why don't you throw some things into a bag so I can take that over to my house when I leave. Then all you have to worry about is getting that sexy ass of your over to my place."

"I will do," Lucas replied. "But first I want to make out with you."

"I think that could be arranged." Brooke told him before she brought her lips to his.


	18. Chapter 17

**Thanks for all the reviews. Hope you enjoy the update.**

* * *

><p>"You know what my best birthday gift was?" Julian asked at lunch the next day. He was sat with Brooke, Lucas, Nathan, Haley, Jake, Owen, Rachel, Lindsey, Skills, Bevin, Clay, Quinn, Mouth, Millie, Chase and Mia.<p>

"A lap dance from Lindsey?" Rachel suggested. Lindsey threw a fry at her in response.

"I haven't had that yet," Julian replied causing a round of laughter to erupt. "But seriously my best gift was Brooke being proved innocent."

"I have to agree," Lindsey said as she looked at Brooke. "I can't imagine what you had to go through at the police station."

"Believe me you never want to get arrested," Brooke said as she shuddered. "It was the most humiliating thing I've ever been through. It was even worse than the first time I had to go and see a gynecologist."

"Wow it was _that_ bad?" Quinn asked as her eyes went wide. Brooke nodded in reply.

"Note to self; never break the law." Haley remarked.

"Or make friends with psychos," Rachel added. "Sorry if that offended you Jake."

"The only thing that offends me is the fact that someone who I thought had changed for the better had actually changed for the worst." Jake replied.

"I think she had a lot of us fooled," Owen said. "I can't believe that she would do that to Brooke of all people."

"Me neither," Lucas said as he frowned. "I hope she gets what she deserves."

"Me too." Chase added.

"Just think Brooke," Nathan began. "When Peyton goes to jail or wherever they send people our age, she'll have to go through what you did at the police station."

"I bet she cries like a baby." Clay said.

"I hope she does," Mouth said joining in the conversation. "What she did was completely idiotic."

"Thanks Mouth," Brooke replied as she smiled at him. She then said. "My parents are getting the case against her rushed through. My dad knows a lot of judges so he's pulling a lot of strings."

"That's good that your parents know them," Jake said. "Hopefully she'll get a harsh punishment that will finally give her the reality check that rehab obviously didn't manage."

"Amen to that." Lucas said in agreement. They then turned the subject back to the party.

"Oh you know how after we had that second batch of Chase and thought that it tasted different?" Jake asked. Everybody nodded in response. "It turns out that Peyton spiked it with a mixture of leftover drugs she got from her dealer."

"What?" the others asked in shock. Nathan and Lucas shared a knowing look at the revelation.

"When did you find this out?" Haley asked.

"After I found out that she had lied about what happened to the cops," Jake answered. "So that's me and Peyton definitely over for good. I was going to end things with her anyway once I heard her lies about Brooke. I can't have Jenny around people like her."

As Jake finished talking, students began to come up to the table to tell Brooke how much they had enjoyed the party at the weekend, before they headed to their seats. However Brooke didn't even acknowledge all the praise she received from her friends. She was in her own little world and was oblivious to the people around her. She didn't even acknowledge Jimmy when he walked past their table and made a snide remark before he hastily left the cafeteria. Lucas, Nathan, Jake, Julian, Chase, Owen and Clay all shared worried looks as she continued to stare into space.

**~X~**

"I'm worried about Brooke," Nathan said in a quiet tone to Lucas later that day. They were getting cleaned up after finishing gym. "She was like this after what happened last Halloween."

"Yeah she was," Julian agreed. "I hope she doesn't go back to how she was then."

"Me neither," Owen added. "None of us seemed to be able to get through to her."

"I dread to think what would have happened if Jenny hadn't been born," Jake said. "She seemed to bring Brooke out of it."

"Yeah she did," Nathan agreed. "I think if there was no Jenny then Brooke would be a completely different person to who she is now."

"The only blessing about what happened is that it wasn't like what happened to her the last time," Chase said. "So maybe Lucas will be able to help her through it this time."

"I hope I can," Lucas said as he turned his shower off. He then wrapped his towel around his waist. "I don't like seeing her like this."

"Me neither," Nathan replied as he copied Lucas's actions. "And I'm actually surprised that her parents turned up."

"Me too," Julian said as he grabbed his own towel. "They weren't interested when we tried to get hold of them last Halloween."

"Wait a second," Lucas said as he, Nathan and Julian walked out of the shower area. "They know about what happened to Brooke?"

"Her dad does at least," Nathan told him. "I'm not sure about her mom."

"And they didn't think to come back here and help her?" Lucas asked in a disgusted tone.

"Nope," Julian said as he frowned. "His business deals were more important. He said that if Brooke couldn't remember what had happened then there was no need for him to cancel his meetings."

"The asshole!" Lucas said as he frowned.

"That was my thoughts exactly when I heard what he said." Nathan told him.

"Does Brooke know that her dad knows?" Lucas asked.

"No," Nathan replied. "I thought it was best not to tell her considering how he reacted about what happened."

"Her parents really suck," Julian said. "The only reason why they're rushing this thing through with Peyton and pulling strings with the judge is so that their family name isn't tarnished by Peyton's allegations."

"And while they're here, they'll keep Brooke on a tight leash," Nathan added. "Then when they head back to wherever place they're going to for meetings it'll be like she doesn't exist."

"How could they do that?" Lucas asked as he reached his locker.

"I ask myself that all the time." Nathan replied.

"Same here," Julian added. "That's why we look out for her the way we do."

"How long do you reckon they'll stay around for this time?" Lucas asked.

"Who knows?" Nathan asked in response. "It wouldn't surprise me if they stay for about a week at the most."

"Will they be able to sort this Peyton stuff out in that time?" Lucas asked as he frowned.

"The strings that they'll be pulling this whole Peyton mess will be sorted within days." Julian replied.

"Seriously? They can do that?" Lucas asked in surprise.

"Seriously." Julian replied.

"The people they have connections with are pretty powerful," Nathan told him. "Peyton is going to wish that she'd never concocted her little plan when they're done with her."

**~X~**

"Where do you think you're going dressed like that young lady?" Victoria asked Brooke as she saw her coming down the stair case early that evening.

"I'm going over to Julian's," Brooke replied. "It's his eighteenth birthday and his parents have arranged a formal dinner. We got the invite back in February."

"Do you think it's wise that you show your face there after yesterday's events?" she asked.

"Yes I do," Brooke replied. "Because I didn't do anything wrong. Everybody knows that the crack whore made it all up."

"Still, your name hasn't been cleared in the courts." Victoria said.

"What are you talking about?" Brooke asked as she frowned. "It's not even going to court. I was proven innocent remember when they found out that Peyton was lying."

"Well we're taking her to court Brooke," Victoria told her. "I just finished a phone conversation with the judge who will be overseeing the case. Peyton will be in court a week tomorrow."

"_What_?!" Brooke asked as her eyes went wide. "You pulled some strings didn't you?"

"Of course," Victoria replied. "What's the point in having friends in high places if you don't call in favors every now and then?"

"Can I ask you something?" Brooke asked.

"You can ask," Victoria replied. "It doesn't mean I'll answer."

"Are you doing it for me as my mother?" Brooke began. "Or are you doing it so that the Davis name isn't tarnished?"

"You better get going to Julian's," Victoria said, avoiding the question. "It wouldn't look good if you were late. And just so you know, your father and I are heading back to New York this evening. Cooper will keep you informed of the legal proceedings."

Brooke remained silent as she continued down the last few steps and headed out of the door. She headed to her car and climbed in. Victoria avoiding her question gave her the answer to it. She tried to hold her tears in as she pulled out of the driveway and headed in the direction of Lucas's house to pick him up.

**~X~**

"Can I stay here tonight?" Brooke asked Lucas as she pulled up outside his house later that night.

"Won't your parents be wondering where you are?" Lucas asked in response.

"I doubt it," Brooke replied. "They'll be back in New York by now."

"Was there any point in them coming here?" Lucas asked.

"There was to them," Brooke said in a bitter tone. "I asked my mom if she had called in a favor to the judge because I was her daughter or if it was just to make sure the Davis name wasn't tarnished."

"And what was her answer?" Lucas asked.

"She didn't give me one," Brooke told him in a sad tone. "Which can only mean that she did it so the Davis name wasn't affected by what Peyton did."

"How could it be anyway?" Lucas asked as he frowned. "The cops found out that Peyton was lying."

"I already told my mother that," Brooke replied with a sigh. "But it's like she doesn't listen to most of the things I say."

"I take it yesterday was just an act then?" Lucas asked.

"I never know with them," Brooke admitted. "They're never ones to show how they're feeling. Unless it's when they're pissed at something. And because they're pissed at the thought of their wonderful name being dragged through the mud they've arranged it with a judge to have Peyton in court a week tomorrow."

"Seriously?" Lucas asked in a shocked tone. Brooke nodded. "Wow that's fast. I don't think I've ever heard of anything going through that fast before."

"I guess it all depends on who you know huh?" Brooke asked in reply. "I have a feeling that Peyton is going to be dealt with harshly and I find myself not giving a damn. Part of me wants the judge to be the meanest judge in the world and punish her severely."

"And what about the other part?" Lucas asked.

"It tells me not to be so spiteful and bitchy," Brooke replied with a sigh. "That's why I want to stay here tonight. I don't want to be alone with my bitchy thoughts."

"Do you have any clothes here?" Lucas asked. He grinned as he added. "As amazing and sexy as you look in that outfit, I don't think it's appropriate for school."

"Yeah I have a few outfits here," Brooke replied. "So can we get in and go to bed?"

"Sure," Lucas told her as he smiled. "Is that just to sleep or do you have something else in mind?"

"Both." Brooke replied as she managed a smile of her own.

"Let's get inside then," Lucas said as his smile grew. "I've been wanting to get you out of that dress all night."

"Well now's your chance." Brooke said as they climbed out of the car.

**~X~**

"Your mom or Uncle Keith aren't going to come in here to wake you up in the morning are they?" Brooke asked. She snuggled against Lucas's naked body as she tried to get her breath back.

"I hope not," Lucas replied as he wrapped his arms around her tighter. He was in a similar state to her. "Because I don't think I have any energy left to put any clothing back on."

"Me neither," Brooke replied as she ran her fingers over his chest. "You tired me out Broody."

"I think you'll find that it was you who tired the _both_ of us out Pretty Girl," He corrected as he laughed slightly. "You seemed to not want to stop."

"I don't know what overcame me," Brooke replied. "But I certainly couldn't get enough of you."

"I think we both know what overcame you," Lucas said before he yawned. "But I'm not complaining."

"You know something?" Brooke asked in a soft tone.

"What?"

"I think I'd be happy if my parents stayed away permanently," Brooke replied. "Because then I could spend every night with you like this."

"That would be nice," Lucas agreed as he kissed her forehead softly. "And it would be miles better than sneaking out early like yesterday."

"It would," Brooke agreed. It was then her turn to yawn. "I can barely keep my eyes open now."

"Well go to sleep then," Lucas said in a soft tone. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"You better be," she said as she allowed her eyes to close. "I love you Lucas."

"I love you too Pretty Girl." Lucas replied as he kissed her forehead once again.

**~X~**

"Good morning Brooke," Karen greeted as Brooke walked into the kitchen the next morning. "I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Good morning Karen," Brooke replied. "It was kind of a last minute thing. My parents went back to New York last night and I didn't really want to be alone."

"I understand," Karen replied in a sympathetic tone. "How are you feeling after Sunday?"

"Honestly I'm not sure," Brooke admitted. "I thought my parents had come back for me. But it turns out that the only reason they came back was to make sure that the family name isn't tarnished by what Peyton did."

"I see," Karen replied as she studied Brooke. "How does that make you feel?"

"Unloved," Brooke said as she frowned. "I feel like they see me as a burden. They probably do and that's why they never really spend any time with me."

"You're always welcome here Brooke," Karen told her as she walked over to her and pulled her into a gentle hug. "Anytime."

"Thanks Karen," Brooke said in a grateful tone as she returned the hug. "I can't remember the last time that my mom hugged me."

"Well whenever you need a hug you know where I am." Karen told her.

"And me," Lucas said as he walked into the kitchen. Brooke and Karen ended their hug as he spoke. "Are you okay Brooke?"

"I'm great," she replied as she smiled at him. "Now I know why I like coming here."

"Should I be offended?" Lucas asked in a playful tone. Karen laughed as she went back to the stove to check breakfast.

"No you shouldn't," Brooke replied as she went over to him and hugged him. "Is that better."

"Much," Lucas said as he smiled and returned the hug. "Mom how long is breakfast going to be?"

"About fifteen minutes," Karen replied. "Why?"

"We need to head to Brooke's and pick her school bag up," Lucas explained. He then turned back to Brooke as he added. "We can go and do that now if you want."

"Sure," Brooke replied. "It'll save rushing over there afterwards."

"We won't be long mom," Lucas said as he and Brooke headed out of the kitchen. "Make sure that Nathan doesn't eat all the breakfast."

"I will." Karen called back in an amused tone.

**~X~**

A week later, Peyton was due to appear in court. Brooke had debated about whether to go and see what kind of punishment Peyton was going to receive. In the end she had decided to go. Lucas, Nathan, Haley, Jake, Owen, Rachel, Lindsey, Julian, Bevin, Skills, Chase, Mia, Clay, Quinn, Mouth, Millie, Karen and Keith had also gone. Cooper had told Brooke the time of the hearing and it had fallen outside of school hours. She had been surprised when Cooper had told her that she wouldn't have to appear at court. He had then told her that her parents had made it so that she didn't need to give any evidence.

Brooke and her friends sat on the opposite side of the court room to where Peyton was. Brooke felt a sense of satisfaction at seeing her in the same orange outfit that she had been forced to wear at the police station. She also noticed that the lawyer that was representing Peyton didn't seem to be interested in helping Peyton. She wondered if her parents had pulled strings to make it so that he wasn't.

Peyton didn't even acknowledge the presence of the people who had once been her friends. She just stared straight ahead. Brooke had expected her to be glaring at her the entire time. Brooke was also glad that Karen and Keith had accompanied them. She knew that she wouldn't absorb everything that was being said and she knew that if she wanted to know anything she had missed she would be able to ask them.

Before Brooke knew it, the judge was ready to give his punishment to Peyton. She found herself gripping Lucas's hand tightly as they waited to hear Peyton's punishment. She knew that her parents had told the judge that they wanted him to deal with her severely but she didn't know if he would do as they had asked. It seemed an eternity before the judge began to reveal Peyton's fate.

He had decided to sentence her to two months detention in a women's correctional institute in Raleigh. It was only then that Brooke realized that Peyton had been tried as an adult. She then heard that Peyton would be forced to participate in the drug program they had and would be tested regularly to make sure that she was clean. She would also be doing her usual schooling, as well as having to work in the institute. As Peyton was led away between two female guards, Brooke couldn't help feeling satisfied at the outcome.

"Let's hope she finally learns her lesson while she's in there." Lucas said as they left the court room.

"I hope she does," Brooke replied as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Part of me feels sorry for her though."

"Why?" Nathan asked as he frowned. "If it was you that was getting sent to jail for what Peyton said you did, so you think she'd feel sorry?"

"No." Brooke admitted.

"Then don't feel sorry for her," Haley added. "She deserves it after what she's done."

"How about we all go back to the café?" Karen asked. "I'll treat you all to a celebratory meal."

"I have to go and pick Jenny up from daycare." Jake said.

"You can bring her with you." Karen told him.

"Okay, I'll see you at the café." Jake replied as he managed a smile.

"See you at the café." Nathan said as they all headed out of the court building.

**~X~**

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked as Brooke walked into his bedroom that night. "You don't look okay."

"I don't feel okay," she admitted as she sat on the bed. "I just threw up again."

"Maybe it's the stress of today," Lucas suggested as he sat beside her. "All this stuff with Peyton is bound to take its toll on you."

"I know," Brooke replied as she leaned against him. "I hate feeling so yucky though. I thought it would have settled down by now, but it's still like it was the other day."

"Do you want me to get you something to settle your stomach?" Lucas asked.

"Do you have any ginger ale?" Brooke asked. "That usually works. Julian is the genius that recommended that to me."

"I'll go and check," Lucas told her. "And if we don't I'll go to the store and get you some. I'll be right back."

"Okay." Brooke replied before he kissed her lips softly. He then left the room and Brooke waited for him to come back. He returned a few minutes later with a glass of ginger ale.

"You're in luck," Lucas told her. "My mom picked some up at the store earlier. She thought you might need some if your stomach continued playing you up."

"Your mom is awesome," Brooke said as she took the glass from him. She then sipped it tentatively. "Let's hope this works."

"I hope it does." Lucas said as he sat beside her.

"Are you still coming with me to the doctors on Thursday?" Brooke asked.

"Of course I am," Lucas replied. "I'm not letting you go to that by yourself."

"Thanks," she replied in a grateful tone. "I don't think I could face it by myself."

"Who went with you the other times?" he asked.

"Nathan," Brooke replied. "I don't think I could have gotten through them without him. I'm glad I have you now."

"You'll always have me Brooke," he promised her. "Always."

"As long as you look after that heart of yours anyway." she said before she drank the rest of her ginger ale.

"I'm taking care of it, I promise," Lucas replied. "I have a great team of people supporting me who make sure that I do. And it's headed by you and my mom."

"That's good to know," Brooke said as she smiled. She then pulled a face as she added. "I guess we have to do our homework now huh?"

"Well if we don't want to get several detentions then yes we do," he said as he took the glass from her. He then kissed the tip of her nose. "I'll go and put this in the kitchen, then we can get started."

"Okay," she replied before she kissed him. "I hope it doesn't take us too long."

"Why's that?" Lucas asked curious.

"Because that will give us more time for some naked Brucas time." she told him as she kinked her eyebrow.

"Well how about I leave this glass in here and we get started on our homework right away then?" Lucas suggested as he set the glass on a nightstand and sat back down on the bed.

"I like that idea better." Brooke replied as she opened her schoolbag and pulled out her homework. Lucas copied her actions.

**~X~**

Thursday arrived and Lucas could tell that Brooke was nervous about her upcoming appointment at the doctors. She couldn't concentrate in class and kept fidgeting in her seat. At lunch she couldn't eat and he hated how he couldn't do anything to comfort her. He knew that the only thing that would help her would be to get the all clear at the doctors. So when the bell rang to signal the end of school, Lucas almost did a little happy dance before he left the classroom.

He and Brooke hurried to the parking lot and climbed into her car. He started the ignition and almost broke the speed limit as he drove them to the doctor's office. As they headed towards the entrance he took hold of her hand and linked his fingers through hers. Brooke looked at him as he did and he gave her a comforting smile.

"It's going to be okay," he told her. "If they've all been clear so far, then this one will be too."

"I hope it is." Brooke said as she took a deep breath and Lucas opened the door for them to go inside.

"I'll be by your side the whole time okay?" he said to reassure her.

"Okay." Brooke murmured in reply as they headed towards the reception desk.

After Brooke had given her details at the reception, they sat for a few minutes before she was called in to see a nurse. The nurse took Brooke's vitals as well as a blood and urine sample to be sent to the lab for testing. Brooke knew the drill all too well. The only good thing was that it was over relatively quickly and before they knew, she and Lucas were back in the waiting room.

"So what do we do now?" Lucas asked, unsure of the procedure.

"We wait until they call me in to see the doctor to discuss the results." Brooke told him.

"Okay," Lucas replied as they sat down in the same seats they had sat in before. Lucas placed his right arm around her shoulders and Brooke leaned against him. "How's your stomach feeling?"

"Like a gymnast," Brooke admitted. "Waiting for the results always seems to drag."

"I take it they test everything here?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah," Brooke replied. "I guess that's one example of my parents knowing people in high places. It costs a _lot_ of money for each appointment here. I'm surprised that they haven't asked what the bills were for. Unless they think it's just for usual girly check ups."

"Maybe." Lucas replied as he stroked her arm.

A little while later, Brooke was called back in. Lucas had somehow managed to take her mind off the test results and she was grateful for that. She took hold of his hand again as they headed down a different hallway and went into the doctors office. The doctor was behind her desk and she looked up and smiled warmly as Brooke and Lucas walked in. The nurse who had called Brooke then left the room and closed the door behind her.

"Hello again Brooke," Dr. Hale greeted. She was still smiling. "I can't believe it's been six months already."

"Me neither," Brooke replied. "Time flies huh?"

"It does," Dr. Hale replied. "Well I won't beat about the bush. You have nothing to worry about Brooke. You're still clear."

"I am?" Brooke asked in a shocked voice. Dr. Hale nodded and Brooke couldn't help but smile. "You don't know how relieved I am to hear that."

"I bet you are," Dr. Hale replied as she looked through the paperwork in Brooke's file. "There was one thing that showed up on this visit though."

"What?" Brooke asked in a worried tone as the smile fell from her face. She reached for Lucas's hand again as she asked. "What is it?"

"As you know when you come here for your tests we always run a pregnancy test as a precaution in case we need to give you medications," Dr. Hale began. Brooke nodded as her grip increased on Lucas's hand. "Yours have all been negative in the past. However, the one we did today is showing up positive."

"It is?" Brooke asked as her face paled.

"Yes, you're pregnant Brooke." Dr. Hale told her in a soft tone. Lucas swallowed hard at what he heard.

"But how?" she asked as she frowned. "We were always careful except that one time. But I got the morning after pill right away."

"Something has obviously failed along the way," Dr. Hale said in a sympathetic tone. "I want to do a sonogram on you today to find out how far along you are. Then we can discuss your options if you want to. Or I can give you information for you to take away with you and look over once you've had chance for the news to sink in."

"Okay." Brooke replied in a whisper.

"So if you just go through that door there and change into the gown, I'll be in shortly to do your scan." Dr. Hale told her.


	19. Chapter 18

**Thanks for all the reviews. Hope you enjoy the update.**

* * *

><p>"I can't believe that I'm pregnant." Brooke said in a shocked tone as they sat in the car outside Karen and Keith's house.<p>

"Me neither," Lucas said, sounding equally shocked. "She said that you were six weeks gone right?"

"Seven." Brooke replied as she tried to think back seven weeks.

"It was round about the time when the time capsule was released." Lucas said as he too tried to think back that length of time.

"Oh no," Brooke said as she gave him a worried look. "It was probably that day when I was a total slut and had sex with both you and Nathan in the same day and then I went to get the morning after pill."

"It might not be." Lucas replied as he got a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"It had to have been," Brooke said as tears escaped her eyes. "That means that either you or Nathan could be the father."

"If I'm the father, there's a chance that the baby could have HCM." Lucas said as the thought occurred to him.

"Really?" Brooke asked as she wiped at her eyes. Lucas nodded. "What are we going to do Luke?"

"What do you mean?" he asked as he frowned slightly.

"What if it's Nathan's baby?" she asked. "I don't want to spoil things between him and Haley."

"I'm sure that wouldn't happen," Lucas said in a reassuring tone. "I'm sure that Haley would understand. And it's not like you and Nathan would have to be together. Just look at how many people raise kids and aren't together."

"If Nathan is the father and my parents find out they would expect me and Nathan to get married," Brooke told him. "Unless I didn't decide to keep it and they don't find out."

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked again.

"We should keep it a secret," Brooke told him. "I'm sure one of the brochure things the doctor gave me mentions something about a pre-natal DNA test."

"We'd need something from Nathan to see if he is the dad though." Lucas pointed out.

"No we wouldn't," Brooke told him. "We'd just need something from you and if the results don't match we know that Nathan is the father."

"True," Lucas replied. He paused before he asked. "What would you do if Nathan was the father?"

"This answer is going to make me sound like a heartless bitch but I think it would be for the best if I didn't have it if Nathan turned out to be the dad." Brooke said in a quiet tone.

"You're not a heartless bitch Brooke," Lucas told her. "Would you even tell Nathan if he turned out to be the dad?"

"Probably not," Brooke admitted. She was then silent as she thought for a few moments. "I don't think we should tell anybody anything until we know for sure who the father is. We can read through all this stuff the doctor gave me before I decide what to do."

"Okay." Lucas replied.

"Do you think that you can act normal in front of your parents?" Brooke asked as she finished wiping at her tears.

"I can try," Lucas replied. "But I can't make any promises. My mom can usually tell when I'm lying."

"Well technically we won't be lying," Brooke told him. "We'd just be omitting telling her and everyone else something."

"I can only try," Lucas said in a soft tone. "Do you want to go inside now? We can read through the stuff in my room and make it look like we're doing homework if anyone comes home."

"Okay," Brooke replied as she took a deep breath. She then asked. "Do my eyes look all red from crying?"

"Slightly," Lucas told her as he looked into her eyes. "You could always say that they were happy tears because you got the all clear."

"I will if your mom asks me why I was crying." Brooke replied.

"Come on let's go inside," Lucas said. "Nobody will be home yet anyway. My mom will be at the café. Uncle Keith will be at the auto shop and Nathan is probably at Haley's."

"You know what I really feel like doing right now?" Brooke asked as they climbed out of her car.

"What?" Lucas asked as he retrieved their rucksacks from the backseat.

"Getting drunk," Brooke replied. "But I know I can't."

"How about I make you a hot chocolate and you can have a sugar high instead?" Lucas asked as he took hold of her hand. They then began to walk towards the house.

"A sugar high sounds appealing actually," Brooke replied as they walked. "It might make me feel better."

"Are you hungry?" Lucas asked as he unlocked the front door and the two of them walked inside.

"Surprisingly yes." Brooke replied with a slight frown as he closed the door behind them.

"Do you want me to make you something?" he asked. Brooke nodded. "What would you like?"

"Some kind of comfort food would be great," she told him. "The more fattening it is the better."

"Okay, I'll see what I can find," he told her before he kissed her forehead. "Why don't you go and have a lie down before we start the heavy reading?"

"I think I will," she replied as she gave him a weak smile. "Thanks for looking after me."

"Anytime," he replied as he stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "Now go and make yourself comfortable. I'll dump our bags in there and then I'll try and make you something that's bound to be illegal in some countries for the amount of sugar in it."

**~X~**

"What's wrong?" Haley asked Nathan as she stopped kissing him.

"Nothing." He murmured unconvincingly.

"Don't give me that," Haley told him as she looked into his eyes. "Your body may be here but your mind isn't. Come on; tell me what's wrong."

"I'm worried about Brooke," Nathan said as he sighed. "I was expecting her to call me to tell me how she got on at the clinic. But she hasn't."

"Maybe she got held up," Haley replied. "That happens sometimes."

"Maybe," Nathan replied as he frowned. "I just wish she'd tell me."

"Well you know what they say," Haley began. "No news is good news."

"I hope it is good news." Nathan said.

"I bet it is good news and that she and Lucas are busy celebrating that good news and that's why Brooke hasn't called you." Haley said as she grinned.

"I never thought of that," Nathan replied as he returned the grin. "Are we still the only ones in your house?"

"Yep," Haley replied. She gave him a playful look as she asked. "Why?"

"We could have some naked Naley time." Nathan suggested.

"Not this week we can't." Haley replied.

"Why?" Nathan asked with a puzzled frown.

"Because it's _that_ time of the month." Haley told him as she blushed slightly.

"Huh?" Nathan asked. He then realized what she meant. "Oh. Well we can do something else."

"I have an idea." Haley said as she grinned.

"What?" Nathan asked curiously as she remained quiet.

"I can try out some of the things on the list I got from Brooke." She said as she giggled softly.

"I like that idea," Nathan replied as he smiled widely. "Feel free to try out whatever you want."

"Don't worry I will," Haley told him. She then grinned as she said. "So if you want me to try those things out, you need to get naked. I'm just going to the bathroom for something."

"Where do you want me to be waiting for you after I strip off?" he asked in an amused tone.

"Anywhere away from the windows is good." She replied before she clambered off the bed and headed out of the door. Nathan then quickly began to take his clothes off as he eagerly awaited her return.

**~X~**

"So this brochure says that a paternity test can be carried out once you hit the nine week point," Lucas told Brooke as he looked up from the brochure. "So you have that option as well as having one of those CVS things or an amniocentesis."

"It's the CVS that might be able to detect if the baby has HCM right?" Brooke asked as she frowned. She had read every piece of information that she had been given by the doctor and her brain was awash with medical information.

"Yeah I think it was that one. I think that one can only be carried out after the eleventh week," Lucas replied. His frown matched hers. "I don't know about you but I don't think that my brain will be able to process much more information."

"I know exactly how you feel Lucas," Brooke replied as she put the information she was reading down. "And we still have our homework to do."

"Well why don't we put these somewhere safe and then go and get something to eat and drink?" Lucas suggested. "I think we both need the break before tackling calculus. Plus my sugar high has worn off."

"That sounds like a great idea because mine has as well," Brooke told him. "Are we eating here or at the café?"

"I think here," Lucas replied. "That way we have longer without my mom and Uncle Keith."

"Good idea." Brooke said as she stood. She began to put the brochures into her school bag.

"I just hope my mom doesn't catch on that we're keeping something from her," Lucas said as he too stood. "I kind of suck at hiding things from her."

"I'm sorry that I'm asking you to put yourself in this position Lucas." Brooke told him in a sad tone.

"You don't need to apologize Brooke," Lucas told her softly. "The only reason I said that was because I don't want to let you down and have people find out."

"I don't think you'll let me down," Brooke replied as she gave him a small smile. "You've never let me down yet."

"I don't plan on ever letting you down," Lucas said as he returned the smile. "Now what would you and junior like to eat?"

"A chicken salad bagel sounds pretty good right now." Brooke said with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"I'm sure I can manage that," Lucas replied with a laugh as he took hold of her hand. "And I think there's some of my mom's homemade lemonade left in the refrigerator."

"That sounds perfect," Brooke said as she went on her tiptoes and kissed his lips softly. "I wish that I'd stopped being a bitch to you years ago."

"You do?" Lucas asked with an amused smile. "Why?"

"Because everything seems so much better since I stopped and we started a relationship," Brooke told him. "Even with the news we got today. I think that if I wasn't with you I would be completely losing it right now and be drinking in some bar. Then who knows what would be happening to me and it would be like last Halloween all over again."

"But you're here and you're safe so that won't be repeated," Lucas told her as he tucked a section of hair behind her right ear with his free hand. "And I'm going to take great care of the _both_ of you."

"Even though the baby might not be yours?" Brooke asked as she frowned.

"Yes," Lucas assured her. "However it works out, that baby is still my family in some form. So whether I'm the father or the Uncle, I'm going to make sure that you're both looked after until we know which one I am."

"Then what happens?" Brooke asked in a shaky tone as her eyes filled with uncertainty.

"Then we make a decision on what's going to happen in the future," Lucas told her as he stroked her cheek. "Whatever that may be, I promise I'll always be there for you Brooke."

"Thank you," Brooke said as she closed her eyes. Tears escaped from her eyes as she did and Lucas wiped them away. "I just hope that you don't hate me for whatever decision I make once we know who the dad is."

"I could never hate you Brooke," Lucas told her as she opened her eyes. "I didn't hate you when you were being a bitch to me, so why would I start?"

"Like I said because of whatever decision I make." Brooke murmured in reply.

"I know that whatever decision _we_ come to that you would have debated over it and explored every avenue of that decision," Lucas told her. "And I know that it will be for the best."

"I don't deserve you." Brooke whispered as her eyes bored into his.

"Well that's tough," Lucas said as he grinned. "Because you're kinda stuck with me Pretty Girl. Now let's go and get you two fed."

**~X~**

"How did you get on at the doctors Brooke?" Karen asked as they gathered round the dining table for dinner that evening.

"Great," Brooke replied as she sat next to Lucas. "I got the all clear."

"That's fantastic," Nathan said in a relieved tone. "We should celebrate."

"But that would mean telling people why we're celebrating." Lucas reminded him.

"Good point," Nathan replied. "Well we could always celebrate here."

"How?" Haley asked as she frowned.

"By having dessert," Brooke said. "_Lot's_ of dessert."

"That works for me," Lucas said. "What about you?"

"Sounds good," Nathan agreed. He then looked at Karen and asked. "It _is_ dessert made by you right?"

"It sure is." Karen confirmed as she laughed. Keith chuckled as he saw the look on Nathan's face.

"Awesome," Nathan said as he grinned. "That sounds like a great way to celebrate."

"I just hope that there's a lot of dessert," Keith said. "Otherwise it could turn ugly."

"Don't worry there is plenty for everyone," Karen assured him. "I remember what it was like when it was just you and Lucas fighting over portion sizes and then having second helpings."

"We don't want a repeat of last Christmas," Lucas said as he shook his head playfully. "All that dessert just went to waste."

"I wonder why that was." Keith said as he looked at Lucas. The others watched the exchange between them in amusement.

"It was your fault," Lucas told him. "You had hold of it when you fell over in the lounge. It was nothing to do with me."

"I reckon you kept filling my beer up when I wasn't looking." Keith said as he chuckled again. Nathan couldn't help laughing at the picture he got in his head of Keith falling over drunk in the lounge.

"Man you have to do that again sometime so I can see exactly how funny it was." Nathan told him.

"Well he won't be," Karen told him. "It cost a small fortune to get the carpet cleaned after that incident."

"Don't worry I won't be repeating that anytime soon," Keith assured her. He grinned as he added. "Not in here anyway. When the club opens I might be doing it then."

"As long as you do that in the club that will be okay," Karen told him. She smiled at him as she added. "But you'll be the one cleaning it up."

"How's the club coming along?" Brooke asked Karen.

"It's looking good," Karen told her. "You were definitely right with the bar design. That's now completely finished and looks fantastic."

"I can't wait to see what it looks like." Brooke told her.

"Did you make your mind up about what me and Nathan suggested?" Lucas asked.

"I did," Karen replied. "And yes there will be some basketball games machine and a pool table."

"Awesome!" both Nathan and Lucas said in unison.

"Are you keeping the stage that's already in there or are you getting a new one?" Haley asked.

"I had a guy check over the one that's already there and he said it's in perfectly good condition, so I'm keeping that one." Karen told her.

"That'll save us some money." Keith commented.

"Do you have any idea when it'll be opening?" Nathan asked.

"I'm aiming for the tenth of December," Karen replied. "Which will be four weeks tomorrow. So it'll be a Friday night, which I think would be the best time."

"I agree." Brooke and Nathan said at the same time.

"I take it the two of you have been to a few clubs?" Karen asked.

"You could say that." Nathan replied as he looked down at his plate.

"How on earth did you get is?" Keith asked as he frowned slightly.

"Fake ID." Brooke mumbled.

"Sometimes we knew the guy on the door and he would let us in." Nathan added.

"Have you still got these fake ID's?" Karen asked as she raised her eyebrows.

"I don't have mine anymore," Brooke told her. "I lost it at a frat party."

"The one we went to at Duke?" Nathan asked. Brooke nodded. "I lost mine there too. Maybe somebody stole them. It's kind of weird that we both lost them at the same party."

"It was a bit insane at that one though." Brooke said as she tried to think back.

"The bit I can remember was," Nathan agreed. "I'm guessing it's a good thing that most of that night is a blank."

"Me too." Brooke replied.

"I hope that the two of you won't be using any fake ID at the club," Karen told them. "In fact that goes for all of your friends as well. I could lose my license if you did."

"I promise that we won't." Nathan told her.

"I'll make sure that nobody from school does," Brooke promised. "Plus if the guys on the door are local, they'll know who is underage and who isn't."

"Good point," Karen replied. "I'm going to have to start advertising the available positions."

"Did you decide on them yet?" Haley asked.

"Yes we worked it out last night," Keith replied. "We decided on four bar staff; two for during the day and two for the night. And the same for doormen. So there will be eight staff in total."

"What about a cleaner?" Brooke asked.

"I'm going to see if we can manage it between us to start with," Karen replied. "Just to see how it takes off. If it's successful I'll more than likely hire some."

"I don't mind helping out mom," Lucas said. "Especially if it saves us money."

"Are you sure you'll be okay to do that?" Karen asked. "I mean you have school and your job at the mall. And you help out at the café and the auto shop. I don't want you overworking yourself Lucas. You have to take care of your heart remember."

"Yes you do." Brooke agreed as she gave Lucas a pointed look.

"Mom I'll be fine," Lucas told replied. "It's not like I'm doing that all the time is it? And my shifts at the mall have been cut down since Nathan started working there."

"Just as long as you're not overworking yourself." Karen said in a concerned tone.

"I promise you that if I start feeling off or I think I'm overdoing it I'll tell you okay?" Lucas replied.

"Okay." Karen agreed.

"Actually while we're on the subject of work," Keith began. "You and Nathan wouldn't mind helping me at the auto shop after school tomorrow would you?"

"Nope." Lucas replied.

"Not at all," Nathan told him. "What will we be doing?"

"I've got several cars booked in for a deep clean and tune up," Keith told them. He hesitated before he added. "There are two that are from Dan's limo service."

"Can't you not fix the brakes so they don't work?" Nathan asked.

"If I knew for certain that Dan was driving it straight after I might be tempted to," Keith said with a wry smile. Nathan and Lucas laughed. "So are you two okay doing that?"

"Sure." Lucas replied.

"I don't see why not," Nathan said. "You _are_ going to overcharge him by a ridiculous amount right?"

"Totally," Keith told him as he laughed. The others around the table joined in. "I have been for years."

"It's about time somebody started ripping him off," Nathan said. "He's been ripping his customers off for years."

"I know," Keith replied. "The amount of work I've had courtesy of Dan Scott motors has been increasing every month since he opened the place. So I thought I'd give him a taste of his own medicine when he puts the cars in for a service and deep clean."

"We have chemistry tomorrow right?" Lucas asked as he looked at Nathan.

"Yeah," Nathan replied in a curious tone. "What have you got planned?"

"Do you remember when we were shown how to make stink bombs?" Lucas asked as he grinned.

"I certainly do," Nathan replied as he caught on to what Lucas was on about. "Where are you thinking of putting them?"

"Under the carpet so that when people put their feet on the floor they'll break and the car will stink to high heaven." Lucas said as he laughed.

"Well what I don't see I don't know about," Keith said as he grinned. "I'll be in the office adding on unnecessary charges to Dan's bill."

"Tomorrow is going to be so much fun." Nathan said as he laughed.

"I just wish we could see Dan's face when his limo customers complain." Lucas said as he too laughed.

"I have to admit that I'd love to see his face too," Karen said as she smiled. "Now get on with your dinner before it gets cold."

**~X~**

"So it's just the two cars from Dan's limo service that are left to do?" Lucas asked Keith the next day.

"Yep," Keith told him as he placed his coffee cup down. "So feel free to do as crappy a job as you want to. I'll be in the office adding things onto his bill that I didn't actually do."

"So we'll go and add the new air freshener to his car after we do our crappy cleaning." Nathan said in a gleeful tone.

"Just remember to clean under the seats," Lucas told him. "The last time we had these in I found about sixty dollars in total."

"Wow when was that?" Nathan asked.

"The day before Halloween last year," Lucas told him. "I remember treating Hales to pizza with it on Halloween."

"Seriously the last time he got these cars serviced was over a year ago?" Nathan asked in surprise.

"Yep," Lucas replied. "It's not good huh?"

"Hell no," Nathan agreed. "I'm glad I've not used them."

"So which one do you want to do?" Lucas asked. "The big limo or the normal car?"

"I'll do the big one," Nathan replied as he grinned. "I know several great hiding places for these stink bombs we made."

"I'm so glad you took the big one," Lucas said as he returned the grin. "I hate cleaning that one. It takes me forever. Plus I find more money in the small one."

"I don't get why he calls that one a limo when it's just a normal car." Nathan said as he shook his head.

"So he can charge more probably," Lucas replied. "He seems to like making things sound better than they actually are."

"I totally agree with you one that one bro," Nathan said. He then sighed as he added. "Let's get started on these. Then we can have fun by hiding the stink bombs."

"All I can say is that I'm glad that I won't be in any of these cars when they get activated." Lucas replied as he laughed and headed over to the car he was going to be cleaning.

"Me neither." Nathan agreed as he began the task of cleaning the limousine.

**~X~**

"Hi Brooke," Karen greeted as Brooke walked into the café. "How are things over at the club?"

"Slightly ahead of schedule," Brooke replied as she made her way to the counter and sat down. "The floor looks great now it's finished and the new paint job on the stage is done. And I think I've come up with a name."

"Please tell me it's better than what Rachel suggested." Karen said as Haley appeared beside her.

"Don't worry I didn't come up with any of the names Rachel suggested," Brooke said as she laughed and remembered the list of sleazy sounding names Rachel had come up with. "How about Tric without the K?"

"Tric," Haley said testing out the name. "How did you come up with that?"

"Remember that old storage room we discovered when the guys took off some boarding?" Brooke asked. Karen and Haley nodded. "Well I was having a rummage around in there and found an old sign. So I plugged it in and the only part that lit up said Tric."

"What sign was it?" Karen asked.

"It said electric supply or something," Brooke replied. "I couldn't make it out properly. It was all dirty and broken."

"I like that," Karen said as she tried out the name in her head. "Now all I have to do is design the signs and stuff."

"I doodled something while I was supervising the floor guys," Brooke said as she opened the sketch pad that was in her hand. She turned it round so that Karen could see. "These ones would look cool behind the bar and the others are for outside. The one on the next page could be for behind the stage."

"Brooke these are great," Karen said as she looked at them. "And perfect. Thank you for doing this."

"It's the least I can do," Brooke replied. "And Millie's dad can make signs like that."

"I'll have to stop by his place and drop these off." Karen said as she continued to look at the designs.

"I can do that on my way home." Brooke told her.

"You wouldn't mind?" Karen asked.

"Not at all," Brooke replied with a smile. "You've helped me so I want to repay the favor."

"Well at least let me make you something to eat and drink." Karen insisted.

"Can I get a chicken salad bagel and some homemade lemonade?" Brooke asked in a hopeful tone.

"Sure," Karen replied as she gave her a smile. "I'll go and get that made for you. I'm sure Haley can keep you company while I'm in the back."

"Well we're not really busy are we?" Haley asked in a playful tone as she signaled the relatively empty café. Karen then handed the sketch pad back to Brooke before she headed into the back. Haley then grabbed herself a coffee before she headed to the customer side of the counter and sat beside Brooke.

**~X~**

"Hey Luke you'll never guess what I found under the drivers seat." Nathan called to Lucas as he looked over the top of the limousine.

"Do I really want to know?" Lucas asked as he walked around to the front passenger door of the car he was cleaning.

"I found a twenty dollar bill, some buttons, a chocolate bar wrapper, something furry that I think used to be part of the chocolate bar and a pretty expensive looking necklace." Nathan rhymed off.

"Not bad," Lucas replied. "I once found something furry that was part of some kind of fruit. It smelt pretty bad too."

"Nice!" Nathan said as he pulled an unimpressed expression.

"It felt pretty disgusting," Lucas said as he opened the passenger door. "That's why I now wear gloves."

"Yeah I see your point," Nathan replied. "So did you find anything under the drivers seat in that one?"

"Five dollars and an unopened out of date bag of chips," Lucas replied. "I'm hoping that I find something better under this one."

"I think I'm gonna give the necklace to Haley," Nathan said as he too moved to the front passenger side of the car he was working on. "I'll stick it in a fancy gift box and give it to her at Christmas."

"Cheapskate." Lucas remarked as he knelt on the floor to begin cleaning under the seat.

"I'll get her some other stuff as well," Nathan replied. "Why else do you think I'm working in several places?"

"To earn your keep?" Lucas suggested as he swept several items out from under the seat. "I have some sequins, fluff, some dried up gum and a charm bracelet."

"A charm bracelet?" Nathan asked in a curious tone.

"Yeah." Lucas confirmed.

"What does it look like?" Nathan asked as he walked over to where Lucas was.

"Why?" Lucas asked as he saw Nathan walking over to him. He stood and held the bracelet in his glove covered hand for Nathan to see. Nathan stopped in his tracks as he saw it. "What's wrong Nate?"

"That's Brooke's bracelet," Nathan replied in a quiet, angry tone. "The one that went missing last Halloween."


	20. Chapter 19

**Thanks for the reviews. Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

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><p>"<em>Hey Luke you'll never guess what I found under the drivers seat." Nathan called to Lucas as he looked over the top of the limousine.<em>

"_Do I really want to know?" Lucas asked as he walked around to the front passenger door of the car he was cleaning._

"_I found a twenty dollar bill, some buttons, a chocolate bar wrapper, something furry that I think used to be part of the chocolate bar and a pretty expensive looking necklace." Nathan rhymed off._

"_Not bad," Lucas replied. "I once found something furry that was part of some kind of fruit. It smelt pretty bad too."_

"_Nice!" Nathan said as he pulled an unimpressed expression._

"_It felt pretty disgusting," Lucas said as he opened the passenger door. "That's why I now wear gloves."_

"_Yeah I see your point," Nathan replied. "So did you find anything under the driver's seat in that one?"_

"_Five dollars and an unopened out of date bag of chips," Lucas replied. "I'm hoping that I find something better under this one."_

"_I think I'm gonna give the necklace to Haley," Nathan said as he too moved to the front passenger side of the car he was working on. "I'll stick it in a fancy gift box and give it to her at Christmas."_

"_Cheapskate." Lucas remarked as he knelt on the floor to begin cleaning under the seat._

"_I'll get her some other stuff as well," Nathan replied. "Why else do you think I'm working in several places?"_

"_To earn your keep?" Lucas suggested as he swept several items out from under the seat. "I have some sequins, fluff, some dried up gum and a charm bracelet."_

"_A charm bracelet?" Nathan asked in a curious tone._

"_Yeah." Lucas confirmed._

"_What does it look like?" Nathan asked as he walked over to where Lucas was._

"_Why?" Lucas asked as he saw Nathan walking over to him. He stood and held the bracelet in his glove covered hand for Nathan to see. Nathan stopped in his tracks as he saw it. "What's wrong Nate?"_

"_That's Brooke's bracelet," Nathan replied in a quiet, angry tone. "The one that went missing last Halloween."_

"You're kidding?" Lucas asked as a sickened feeling overcame him.

"I wish that I was," Nathan said as he took the bracelet from Lucas's hand. He examined it closely and saw the part that he was looking for. "Look it even has Brooke engraved on it."

"Where?" Lucas asked as Nathan handed it back to him. He studied it closely and found the part that had her name on it. "It was Dan who did that to her wasn't it?"

"It has to be," Nathan replied. "He was the only one who was driving last Halloween because he had a hissy fit and fired the drivers just because he could. It backfired on him though when he had to do the extra work himself."

"We need to tell Uncle Keith." Lucas said.

"You need to tell Uncle Keith what?" Keith asked as he came towards them. "Did you break something?"

"No," Lucas replied with a frown. "I found Brooke's bracelet."

"That's a good thing right?" Keith asked with a confused expression. He wondered why both Nathan and Lucas had such serious expressions.

"Yes and no," Nathan replied with a sigh. "It was the bracelet that she lost last Halloween."

"It is?" Keith asked as his frown deepened. "Where did you find it?"

"In one of Dan's limos," Lucas told him. "It was under the seat."

"So we were going to tell you to see what our next step should be. What should we do?" Nathan finished.

"That's a good question," Keith said. He was quiet for a few moments as he thought. "The right thing to do would be to go to the police."

"Brooke didn't want the police involved." Nathan told him.

"Let me finish," Keith told him. "However, if we did do that, Dan would just worm his way out of it."

"So what should we do?" Lucas asked.

"We should go and pay Danny boy a visit," Keith told him. "And see what he has to say for himself."

"If we went to see him I don't think I'd be able to be in the same vicinity as him without getting violent." Nathan said.

"Me neither." Lucas agreed.

"Okay the two of you need to promise me that what I'm about to say won't get repeated to anyone," Keith said. "Because if it does, I'm going to deny that it ever left my mouth."

"I promise." Lucas and Nathan said in unison.

"I say we go round there and find out just exactly what happened that night," Keith began. "And once Dan has lied his ass off we beat the truth out of him."

"I'm liking that plan." Lucas said. However, he was surprised that Keith had come up with the idea.

"Me too." Nathan agreed.

"Then let's get everything switched off in here and go and pay Dan a visit." Keith said in a determined tone. Nathan and Lucas quickly set about obeying his instruction.

**~X~**

"Thanks for looking after her Brooke," Jake said as he handed Jenny over to the brunette. "You're a lifesaver."

"I'm always happy to look after her," Brooke said as she looked at Jenny. "Because you're a little angle for your Aunt Brooke aren't you?"

"I wish she was an angel for her dad." Jake said as he smiled.

"Is she still bad with her teething?" Brooke asked him.

"Yeah," Jake said before he yawned. "She's keeping up until all hours. I think I've forgotten what sleep is."

"Well if you ever need a break you know where to find me." Brooke told him.

"I might be taking you up on that offer sometime soon," Jake told her. "I'm going to need a good nights sleep soon otherwise I'll be no use to anyone."

"You do look tired," Karen said as she looked at him. "I'd be happy to help you as well."

"Thanks Ms. Roe," Jake replied. "I think my parents would appreciate a night off as well."

"Like Brooke said, you know where we are if you want to take us up on that offer." Karen told him as she gave him a friendly smile.

"So how come I get the pleasure of looking after Jenny?" Brooke asked.

"I have a back log of homework to catch up," He replied. "I don't know how long I'll be getting it done."

"Well don't hurry yourself," Brooke told him. "I can watch her for the night if you want."

"I'll let you know," Jake said as he smiled. He then kissed Jenny's head before he added. "You be good for your Aunt Brooke okay."

"I'm sure she will be," Brooke assured him. "Now go and get your homework done."

"Okay," Jake replied. "I'll call you later."

"I'll be waiting," she said as she took hold of Jenny's hand. She then moved it to make it look like she was waving. "Say bye bye daddy."

"Bye Jenny," Jake said as he smiled at his little girl. "Bye Brooke. Bye Haley. Bye Ms. Roe."

"Call me Karen," Karen told him with a warm smile. "And goodbye Jake."

"Bye Jake." Haley added as Jake quickly left the café.

"You're really good with her." Karen said as she watched Brooke sit at a table with Jenny in her arms.

"Thanks," Brooke replied. "Although if Peyton heard you saying that she'd probably put you on her hit list."

"Hopefully she'll learn the error of her ways while she's being detained by the authorities." Haley said.

"I hope she does," Brooke replied. She then frowned slightly as she looked at them both and added. "In a way I'm glad that she did what she did."

"You are?!" Both Haley and Karen asked in shocked voices.

"Yeah. But that's only because it got her away from Jenny," Brooke explained. "Can you imagine what could have happened if she had been left alone with her?"

"That's a good point," Karen agreed. "It could have been so much worse."

"Exactly," Brooke said in reply as she looked back at Jenny. "And we don't want anything bad to happen to you do we munchkin?"

"Do you want anything to eat or drink Brooke?" Karen asked.

"Can I just have some apple juice? I'm not feeling very hungry."

"Sure," Karen replied with a smile. "What about Jenny?"

"Jake said that she should be okay for a while. He fed and changed her before he brought her here," Brooke told her. "And she has everything already in her bag."

"Jake's doing a great job with raising her." Karen said as she brought Brooke's juice over to her.

"That's because she's his number one priority," Brooke said before she took a sip of her juice. "He always makes sure that she has everything she needs; even if he has to go without himself."

"I think that's called being a good parent." Haley said as she smiled.

"It is," Karen agreed. "Tree Hill needs more of those. There are already enough parents in this town that couldn't care less about their children."

"I agree with that," Brooke said as she frowned. She then looked at Haley and asked. "Hales could you hold Jenny for me? I have to go to the bathroom."

"Sure," Haley said as she made her way over to her. "I just hope that she doesn't freak out when I do hold her. I don't know if I'm any good with babies."

"Haley you'll be fine," Brooke told her as she stood and handed Jenny to Haley. "Now Jenny you be good for Aunt Haley while I'm in the bathroom okay."

"Just try not to be too long." Haley said as she made an unimpressed face.

"I'll be as quick as I can." Brooke told her as she headed to the bathroom. Haley watched her go as Jenny began to make a fuss.

**~X~**

"Did you call the guys?" Lucas asked as Nathan came back into the auto shop.

"Yeah I did," Nathan told him. "They're all on their way."

"Dan is going to wish that he'd never even got the idea in his head to do what he did to Brooke." Lucas said with a frown as Keith came up to them.

"Did you call him?" Nathan asked.

"I did," Keith replied. "And he's on his way to collect the smaller limousine. He says that it's his favorite car of the two."

"I wonder why." Lucas said in an angry tone.

"Did you manage to get hold of anybody?" Keith asked Nathan.

"Yeah. All the guys are coming here," Nathan told him. "They're going to wait outside in their cars and come in here when that freak gets here."

"That's a good idea," Keith said. "That way he has no chance of just walking out of here like he's done nothing wrong."

"That's why I called them," Nathan said. "He's not going to get away with what he's done."

"How long did he say it would take him to get here?" Lucas asked.

"His cab arrived just as I was talking to him," Keith said. "He said he was on his way here to check our progress."

"Unbelievable," Nathan muttered. "I don't know how I stood living with him for as long as I did."

"It's no wonder your mom works away as often as she does." Lucas said.

"I know. I don't blame her for wanting to be away from him," Nathan said as he sighed. "I just wish that she had taken me with her when she did."

"Lucas before Dan gets here I want you to promise me that you won't get too carried away with whatever happens." Keith said suddenly changing the subject.

"Why?" Lucas asked in a surprised tone.

"I don't want you risking your health because of him," Keith said. "And I'm sure Brooke would say the same if she knew. You've got a heart condition remember?"

"How could I forget?" Lucas asked in reply in an annoyed tone. "That's another thing that asshole is responsible for."

"Now you know that your mother and I don't like you using that type of language," Keith reminded him. "However, given the circumstances, I'll let you off with it this once."

"Getting in trouble again are you Lucas?" Dan asked as he strolled through the door as if he owned the place. "I did the right thing in abandoning you."

"Don't talk to my brother like that!" Nathan said in an angry tone as he glared at his father.

"It didn't take them long to brainwash you did it?" Dan asked in a sneer as he returned the glare. "And it didn't take Keith here too long to turn you into a grease monkey. Just think Nathan, if you had stayed with me you wouldn't have had to work for money."

"I'd rather work for money than be a sick and twisted freak like you." Nathan replied. The hatred was clear to hear in his voice.

"What are you on about Nathan?" Dan asked as he scowled.

"You know fine well what he's on about," Lucas said in a tone that matched Nathan's. "We know what you did to Brooke last Halloween."

"And why are you getting angry about that?" Dan asked as he raised his eyebrows. "I saw her walking along the road and I gave her a ride home. Would you rather I left her there so that she could have been attacked by somebody."

"Yeah sure that's all you did," Julian said from behind Dan. He turned and saw that Jake, Owen, Clay and Chase were with Julian. "People like you make me sick."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Dan said as he smirked.

"You know fine well what we're talking about Dan," Keith said causing Dan to turn back to face him. "You took advantage of a girl when she was in no fit state to fight you off."

"You can't prove anything." Dan replied with a smug grin.

"We can." Owen said as he folded his arms in front of him.

"How?" Dan asked as he again turned to look where the voice had come from. It was then that he saw that the door had been closed. He briefly wondered if it was locked.

"Your DNA from Brooke is on file," Nathan told him. "So it'll be easy to prove it was you who raped her."

"Sure it will," Dan replied in a confident tone. "If you think so I'll gladly go and have a test done right now. You can even come with me to watch if you like. Then it'll prove that I didn't do anything other than give her a ride."

"Lie all you want to Dan," Keith said in a calm, low tone. "By the time we're done with you, you'll be telling us the truth."

"I don't think so." Dan replied in a confident tone.

"I think he's going to need a little persuading guys." Julian said as he and the others began to walk towards Dan until they were all surrounding him.

"I hope you realize that what you're about to do is classed as assault," Dan said in a casual tone. "And don't think that I won't be pressing charges against each and every one of you."

"By the time we're through with you after you've confessed what you done, you'll be lucky if you'll be able to speak." Julian told him in an angry tone.

"Well do whatever you're going to do then," Dan said sounding like he wasn't bothered in the slightest. "Because I don't have anything to say."

**~X~**

_Dan pulled up outside the dealership and switched the engine off. He looked over at Brooke and grinned as he noticed that she hadn't moved since she had closed her eyes. She had either taken something or her drink had been spiked. He grinned wider as he realized now was the perfect time for him to carry out something that he had been wanting to do for the last two months; ever since he had stumbled across a certain tape that she and Nathan had made._

_He opened his door and climbed out of the car. He closed the door quietly and headed into the dealership. He unset the alarm and switched the lights on. He then headed back outside and quickly headed to the passenger side. He opened the door, leaned in and took Brooke's safety belt off her. He then went to move gather her into his arms so that he could carry her into the dealership. Her left arm slipped to the side of the seat and Dan quickly looked at her face to make sure that she hadn't come round. He missed seeing her bracelet slip from her wrist as he did. It disappeared down the side of the seat and landed underneath._

_He saw that she was still out of it and quickly scooped her up. He closed the door and headed back into the dealership. He closed the outer door, headed into his office and deposited Brooke onto his desk. He then hurried to the office door, closed it and made sure that it was locked. He didn't want her running off until he was sure that she wouldn't remember anything. He then turned his attention back to Brooke. He ran his eyes over her costume and took in how it fit her perfectly toned body. He then headed back over to his desk and began to act out what he had been picturing._

"That's more than a ride Dan." Keith said as he looked at Dan's crumpled form.

"That depends on how you look at it," Dan replied as he wiped the blood from his split lip. "It was a ride in a way."

"Then why lie?" Jake asked as he looked at him in disgust.

"I didn't lie," Dan replied. "The DNA that's on file isn't mine."

"Sure it ain't." Clay muttered.

"It isn't," Dan insisted. "And anyway it's not like she told me to stop."

"That's because she couldn't." Lucas said before he kicked Dan in the stomach. Dan groaned at the pain that radiated out from the point of impact.

"She came round about half way through," Dan said. "She didn't say no then. The only thing she did was move so that I had better access."

"How could you do something as horrible as that?" a voice asked. The men looked over towards the door and were shocked at who they saw there.

"Mom?" Nathan asked as he frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"My business trip ended early," Deb said as she walked further into the auto shop. She glared at Dan as she did. "How could you do something like that to Brooke?"

"Because she was an easy lay," Dan replied as he grinned nastily. "And she was way better than you."

"You know I thought that you couldn't sink any lower," Deb said as she shook her head at her husband. "But you've just proven me wrong."

"And you know how I like to do that." Dan replied.

"You are unbelievable," Deb said in a disgusted tone. She then turned to Nathan and added. "Do whatever you like with him. I'll give you all an airtight alibi."

"Thanks mom." Nathan said as he gave her a small smile.

"It's the least I can do," Deb replied as she returned his smile. "Where's Brooke?"

"She's at the café watching Jenny." Jake replied.

"Don't say anything about this to her mom," Nathan said. "Me and Luke will tell her when we're done with this piece of crap."

"I have to say I was surprised to see you here." Deb said.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Dan asked.

"I saw you coming in here before you were followed by most of the basketball team," Deb explained. "I came to see if you were up to your usual tricks but I'm glad to see that you're on the receiving end for a change. Now I'm going to head to the café and leave you all to it. And don't worry Nathan; I won't say a word to Brooke."

"Thanks mom." Nathan said in a grateful tone.

"You're welcome." She replied before she headed back out of the auto shop. As she did she heard grunts of pain. She couldn't help smiling knowing that they were coming from Dan.

**~X~**

"You're a good girl," Brooke said to Jenny as she finished feeding her. "Yes you are."

"It's funny seeing you be so gushy over a baby," Haley said as she wiped down a table near to where Brooke and Jenny were sat. "I never pictured you doing that."

"You mean because I was a bitch?" Brooke asked. She then frowned and looked at Jenny as she added. "You're not allowed to say that until you're in high school. Because your daddy will kill me if you did."

"I don't think you have to worry about her repeating what you just said," Haley said as she laughed. "She's too young to be taking things like that in."

"Are you kidding me?" Brooke asked as she looked back at Haley. "I read in a book that babies take more in that what we think they do."

"Brooke's right you know." Karen said as she walked past them with a tray of food.

"See." Brooke said in a proud tone as she smiled at Haley. Haley laughed as she headed over to another table to clear it. As she did, the café door opened and Deb walked in. She quickly made her way over to Brooke.

"Hello stranger." Deb said as she approached her table.

"Deb! Hi!" Brooke said in a happy tone as she looked up and saw her. "I didn't know you were back."

"My last business trip ended sooner than I thought," Deb replied. "I was driving past and saw you in here so I thought I'd say hi."

"Take a seat and join me," Brooke said as she gestured to the seat across from her. "You have got to try Karen's food. It's _amazing_."

"Thanks," Deb said as she sat. "So what's changed since the last time we talked?"

"I don't know where to start," Brooke replied. "There's been a whole lot of drama. We did a time capsule at school and it got released. There was a lot of stuff on it that shouldn't have been seen. But in a way it's good that it was released."

"How?" Deb asked.

"It stopped Nathan and Lucas fighting," Brooke told her. "Then I threw a party at my house for everybody. Then the day after Peyton accused me of stabbing her and I was arrested."

"She did what?!" Deb asked in a shocked tone.

"It turns out that she did it herself," Brooke said. "She's now in a detention centre thanks to my parents."

"At least they did good with that." Deb said in a soft tone.

"I forgot to tell you the part where they only did it so that the allegation against me didn't tarnish the Davis name." Brooke said in a bitter tone as she rubbed Jenny's back.

"Oh Brooke, I'm sorry," Deb said in a soft tone. "Are you okay?"

"Surprisingly yes," Brooke told her. "Thanks to Lucas and Nathan."

"Lucas?" Deb asked in a questioning tone.

"Hi Deb," Karen said as she approached the table. "This is a surprise."

"HI Karen," Deb replied. There were then a few moments of awkward silence. "Brooke tells me you serve amazing food here."

"Well I try my best," Karen replied. "Can I get you anything?"

"A coffee would be great," Deb told her. "And something sweet. I'll let you surprise me with that one."

"Okay I'll go and sort that for you." Karen said before she headed back to the counter.

"So what's going on with Lucas?" Deb asked as she turned her attention back to Brooke.

"Me and Lucas are dating," Brooke said as a smile broke out on her face. "And we're pretty serious."

"Really?" Deb asked in surprise. Brooke nodded and blushed as she did. "So what about Nathan?"

"He's dating Haley," Brooke said as she gestured to where Haley was stood at the register taking a payment from a customer. "And he's totally crazy over her. Nathan is also living at Karen's house."

"All this has happened in three months?" Deb asked as her eyes widened. "Usually when I come back from overseas business Tree Hill is still the same and nothing remotely interesting has happened."

"Well this time it's not," Brooke replied. "There have been a lot of changes for the better. Even if the way they changed sucked."

"Here you go," Karen said as she brought a tray over with Deb's order on it. "One coffee and a piece of banana cream pie."

"That looks delicious." Deb said as Karen placed it in front of her.

"It does," Brooke agreed. She then looked at Karen hopefully and asked. "Can I have a piece of that?"

"Sure you can," Karen said in an amused tone. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"A banana milkshake." Brooke said as her mouth watered at the thought.

"Coming right up." Karen said as she laughed at the dreamy look on Brooke's face. She then headed back to the counter to get started on Brooke's order.


	21. Chapter 20

**Paigematthewsfan21, XHush-HushX, Diane Hermans, Ashley J Scott, Eve G, Beth-J-Matthews, Alyssia Owens, Brucas322, Cheery Rose 23, Carter-James, Danny Walker, Holly Roberts, Jessica James 23, Lee Martin, JackSawyer99, James McLean, MollyCW23, Jen loves Nathan, John Tate, Nicole-2223, The-Tommynator, Riley Barnes, Raven-Rachel23, The-Ryanator, The-Chadinator, Jason Carlton, The-Tim22 – Thanks for your reviews. Hope you all enjoy the update.**

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><p>"Is that all you've got?" Dan asked as he spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor of the auto shop.<p>

"Don't worry, there's plenty more where that came from." Julian told him as he glared at him with hatred in his eyes.

"I think Lucas broke his hand on your face," Nathan said as he came out of the office. He glared at Dan as he went up to him. "It's a pity it wasn't _my_ hand that broke. That way the days of you reliving your basketball dreams through me will be well and truly over."

"You still can break your hand if you want Nate," Owen told him. "I'm sure that there's some part of him that we forgot about."

"How about the part that he defiled Brooke with?" Chase asked.

"I'm planning on breaking my leg on that one," Nathan replied with a chuckle. "I have more strength behind my kick."

"Same here," Jake agreed. "And I'm sure Lucas has as well."

"I think we all have," Clay replied. "When we're done with him there'll be no way he can do what he did to Brooke to any other woman."

"And he'll have severe trouble going to the bathroom." Keith said as he returned with Lucas. Lucas had an ice pack on his hand.

"What shall we do with him when we're done?" Clay asked.

"Dump him in the middle of nowhere," Lucas said. "That's what he did with Brooke."

"That's not true," Dan replied as he smirked. "I left her in an alley in an industrial area in the trash where she belongs."

"If you think so little of her then why were you so infatuated with her?" Nathan asked in an angry tone. "Why did you have the photos and the videos?"

"If you're asking me that then there is obviously something wrong with you," Dan replied. "And correct me if I'm wrong but weren't you the one who was leading the way in directing the sex tape the two of you made?"

"Yes it was," Nathan replied. "But I was drunk. And I never watched the tape unlike someone who is old enough to know better."

"And someone who is old enough to know that they shouldn't have an obsession with a high school cheerleader," Lucas added. "Were you trying to relive your youth by fixating on her?"

"You'd know all about being fixated on her wouldn't you Lucas," Dan asked as he looked at him. "I think the only thing that annoys you about the situation is the fact that both Nathan and I got there before you did."

"You're talking out of your ass!" Lucas said in an angry tone.

"You're jealous because I got to get in her before you did," Dan taunted. "In fact most of the basketball team got there before you did. I have to say though the practice she got with them was definitely worth it. In fact I think she shouldn't bother with anymore education. She should just stick to selling her body. At least she'll get paid for the only thing she's good at."

"Don't talk about her like that!" Lucas yelled as he went over to Dan and kicked him.

Dan tried to avoid the attack by moving, but only ended up moving his face in the line of Lucas's foot. His already shattered nose disintegrated further and the stream of blood grew heavier as it ran down his face and onto his shirt.

"Careful you don't get too wound up there Lucas," Dan told him in a condescending tone. He made no effort to wipe the blood away. "That heart condition of yours could kick in at any time."

"What heart condition?" Jake asked as he looked at Lucas in alarm.

"I have something called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy," Lucas began to explain. "It's basically a thickening of the heart muscle. And guess what? It was passed on by Dan here."

"That means that you could have it." Julian said in a concerned tone as he looked at Nathan.

"I don't," Nathan assured him. "I got tested and I'm clear."

"That just shows another way that you're the better son," Dan said to Nathan. It caused Lucas's anger to rise even further. Keith gave Lucas a worried look as he saw Lucas's expression. "And it also proves that I was in the right for abandoning the runt."

"Don't talk about my brother like that!" Nathan yelled as he glared angrily at the man that he had called Dad for most of his life. He then launched himself at Dan and began hitting and punching him as he vented his anger on him.

**~X~**

"Thanks for helping out Deb," Karen said as she and Deb finished cleaning the café after it was closed. "I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome," Deb told her as she smiled. "It's been nice getting to know you. I should have taken the time to do it sooner."

"Likewise," Karen replied. She then sighed as she added. "I wonder how Haley is getting on at the hospital. I feel so guilty."

"It's not your fault Karen," Deb told her in a soothing tone. "Even Haley said that when she had the accident. She said she wasn't concentrating when she was cutting that cake."

"Still I feel bad for not going to the hospital with her." Karen said in a guilty tone.

"She has Brooke with her," Deb replied. She then smiled as she added. "And Jenny."

"I just wish she could have gotten hold of Nathan," Karen said. "I wonder where he and Lucas are."

"They're probably at the river court and lost track of time." Deb said hoping that her voice sounded normal.

"They were supposed to be working at the auto shop with Keith," Karen told her. "It's strange how none of them answered their cell phones or the phone at the shop."

"Well maybe they had to go to recover a vehicle." Deb suggested.

"I hope that that is what's going on," Karen said as her frown deepened. "I just have an uneasy feeling that something is wrong at the auto shop."

"I'm sure they're fine." Deb said in a faltering tone. Karen looked at her curiously.

"You know something about why they're not answering the phone don't you?" Karen asked her. "If you do please tell me why. I need to know that they're okay."

"I can't tell you without betraying a secret that I promised never to tell," Deb told her as she gave her a pleading look. "I can tell you that Lucas, Nathan and Keith are okay."

"What are they doing?" Karen asked her. "You don't need to tell me the secret. Just tell me what they're doing."

"It involves Dan." Deb replied after a few moments of silence.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Karen replied. "I just hope that Dan isn't causing them any trouble."

"They're the one causing Dan some trouble," Deb told her as she smiled. "Its trouble he's had coming for a long time."

"It's about time he was on the receiving end," Karen said in a firm tone. "The things that man has done are despicable."

"I agree it is time he got a taste of his own medicine," Deb said in the same tone. "I knew he was capable of some horrific things but not what I found out earlier."

"What did you find out?" Karen asked in a worried tone.

"I need to think how to word this so I don't betray the secret I was told," Deb said with a sigh. "Something happened last Halloween."

"Did it involve Brooke?" Karen asked before she could say anything more. The look Deb gave her was her answer. "She told me, Keith and Lucas about what happened."

"How much did she tell you?" Deb asked.

"She told us about the party and going out for some air and that she remembered getting into a car with somebody and woke up in an alley." Karen told her.

"And that's it?" Deb asked. "Nothing else."

"No," Karen replied. "Is there more?"

"I'm sorry Karen," Deb replied. "If Brooke didn't tell you there was more then I can't. I'm not going to betray her trust."

"It was Dan wasn't it?" Karen asked as her brain pieced everything together.

"Yes it was," Deb told her in a sad tone. "It breaks my heart that he did that to her. Not because I love Dan Scott but because of what he put that poor girl through."

"Did she turn to you afterwards?" Karen asked. "You don't need to give me any details. I just want to know that she had an adult to confide in."

"She did," Deb replied. "She came to the house one day looking for Nathan and she broke down and told me everything."

"I'm glad she had you for that," Karen told her. "Her parents need to look up the meaning of parenthood."

"Don't they just," Deb replied. "I know that I haven't been the best mother to Nathan, but I would never abandon him when he needed me the most. Not like Brooke's parents did."

"Do you know what happened this Halloween?" Karen asked.

"What?" Deb asked in a doubtful tone.

"Peyton stabbed herself and told the police that it was Brooke," Karen answered. "Poor Brooke was arrested and held in cells until the police found out the true story."

"Unbelievable," Deb replied. "I always knew there was something off with Peyton. I can't believe that she did that. Why did she do that? Especially to Brooke of all people?"

"I overheard the kids talking and they were saying that it was because Peyton was jealous of Brooke's relationship with Jake and how close she was to Jenny. Don't tell them that you know this next part but Jake was the first boy Brooke was intimate with after what happened last Halloween."

"I see," Deb said as her brain processed what Karen had told her. "I hope that Peyton was punished for what she did."

"Brooke's parents made sure that she was," Karen informed her. "And they didn't do it for Brooke. They did it to make sure that the Davis name wasn't tarnished; even though Brooke had already been proven innocent."

"That sounds about right for Richard and Victoria Davis," Deb replied. "I think they graduated from the same school of parenting as Dan."

"I think that you're right with that assumption," Karen told her. "Listen, why don't you join us for dinner tonight? We might need an extra pair of hands when Keith, Nathan and Lucas are finished with Dan."

"It's not just them," Deb told her. "Clay, Owen, Jake, Julian and Chase were there as well helping them. I told them that I would give them all airtight alibis if Dan went to the police afterwards."

"Well in that case you should definitely come for dinner," Karen told her. "We'll order pizza and the other boys can come as well. Brooke and Haley will be there too. Their alibis will be even tighter."

"That's a good idea," Deb told her. "Maybe you should invite their girlfriends too. It'll look more authentic."

"I don't think my house can cope with that many people in it." Karen replied.

"Better still we'll have it at my place," Deb said. "The kids can say that they were having a pool party."

"In November?" Karen asked in a skeptical tone.

"The pool is heated," Deb told her. "Nathan's had a pool party in December before."

"Well it looks as though we're heading to your place then." Karen replied.

"That's great," Deb told her as she smiled. "It means I can get the locks changed while the kids are letting off steam. And pack Dan's things away before I kick him out."

"I take it we'll be stopping off at the auto shop to tell them the plans then?" Karen asked.

"I think we're better off doing that." Deb replied.

"I'll leave a note at my place if we miss them," Karen said. "Hopefully they'll see it if they go back there. So shall I meet you at your place?"

"I think that'll be for the best," Deb said. "I'll stop off at the auto shop and tell them the plan. If they're not there I'll call you and let you know."

"Good idea," Karen said as she retrieved her purse. "Right let's go."

**~X~**

"I think this is the best place for him." Keith said as they dumped Dan into the bog. They had decided to take him where Nathan and Lucas had burned the pictures Dan had of Brooke.

"The best place for him is the sewer." Lucas said.

"Yeah we should dump him in that." Nathan agreed.

"I think here is just as nice don't you?" Julian asked as Dan glared at them.

"You do realize that you're not going to get away with this." Dan told them.

"If you go to the police you're only going to be getting yourself in trouble," Keith told him. "And you'll be spending a long time in jail."

"Sure I will," Dan replied as he coughed. "The DNA they got from Brooke _wasn't_ mine. I'm not stupid. I used protection. You never know what that little slut might have. Somebody else must have had a little fun with her after I left her in the alley."

"He could actually be telling the truth for once," Keith murmured to Nathan and Lucas. "He's said the same thing over and over. If he was lying he would have slipped up by now."

"If you ever find out whom the other guy or guys were I'd like to pat them on the back." Dan said as he sneered.

"If, and I mean _if_, there was another guy, he's going to get the same treatment that you did." Lucas yelled as he sent a deadly glare in Dan's direction.

"Well you better start asking every guy in Tree Hill," Dan told him as he managed a chuckle. "But then again she's probably already been with every guy in Tree Hill. Except maybe that fat kid at your school that everybody keeps ragging on."

"I don't think that we busted his face up enough," Julian said in an annoyed tone. "He's still talking."

"I think one more kick should sort that out." Owen replied as he began to walk towards Dan.

"I think shoving his face in that disgusting mess he's ankle deep in should suffice." Nathan said as he went over to Dan.

He pushed him as he reached him so that Dan was now lying in the putrid mulch. He then shoved Dan's face into it and held it there for several minutes. Just when Dan thought that he was going to run out of air, Nathan let him go.

"We should get going," Keith said as he checked his watch. "We have someplace to be."

"I can't wait to see his face when he's walked back to the house and he discovers the little surprise my mom has for him." Nathan said as he laughed.

**~X~**

"I'm glad that I didn't cut through anything major," Haley said as Brooke drove the back from the hospital. "I can't believe I was such an idiot to do something like that."

"That's because you were too busy daydreaming of naked Nathan." Brooke told her in a playful tone.

"Brooke did you forget that we have Jenny in the car?" Haley asked as she smiled.

"No I didn't," Brooke told her. "She's too young to know what we're on about. Besides, she's sleeping."

"You'll be surprised at how much kids her age actually pick up," Haley told her. "I read an article that said they're quite perceptive at Jenny's age."

"You shouldn't believe everything that you read Haley," Brooke told her with a smile. "Especially the things you read on the bathroom walls at school."

"Why are you bringing that up?" Haley asked as she laughed.

"I take it you didn't see the latest addition to the end cubicle?" Brooke asked.

"No," Haley replied. She then frowned as she asked. "Why? What does it say?"

"Some idiot wrote a comment about Nathan," Brooke told her. She paused for a moment before she continued. "It said something along the lines of he's now slumming it with bargain basement goods."

"That means me doesn't it?" Haley asked in almost a whisper.

"You're not bargain basement Haley," Brooke assured her. "Whoever wrote that in the bathroom is. They're just jealous because you have Nathan's undivided love and attention. They've more than likely just put that comment in there so that you'd take the bait."

"What do I do?" Haley asked her.

"Carry on like you don't know anything about it," Brooke told her. "Take the high road and don't stoop to their level. Then when the catty bitch makes herself known you put her down by publicly humiliating her with the greatest come back of all time."

"Great," Haley said as she sighed. "I don't know comebacks. I've never really had the need for them."

"Oh trust me Haley you do. And you have. Many, many times and all for Lucas," Brooke told her in a sad tone. "And if your brain does decide to go blank in that situation there is one easy comeback that will shut the bitch right up."

"What's that?" Haley asked.

"You simply tell her that Nathan loves you because you're not a cheap, slutty, catty whore like her," Brooke replied with a smile. "And then point out that she'll need a body and personality transplant before Nathan would even think of looking at her."

"That is stored in my memory," Haley told her. "You know I'm really glad that we're friends now. I'd hate to go against you in a bitch off."

"I'm glad we're friends too," Brooke told her. She then laughed as she added. "Nobody has beaten me in a bitch off yet. I don't plan to start losing now. And just so you know, when the skank reveals herself I'll have your back in the bitch off."

"I'm so relieved to hear that." Haley said as Brooke's cell phone signaled she had a message.

"Can you check that for me?" Brooke asked her. "That way I don't have to pull over."

"Sure," Haley replied as she picked the phone up. She smiled as she saw who it was from. "It's from Lucas."

"If it's a dirty text you don't have to read it out." Brooke told her as she grinned.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you but it's not a booty text." Haley told her.

"Damn!" Brooke said in a disappointed tone. Haley laughed at her reaction. "What's he on about then?"

"He says we should head to Deb's house," Haley said as she read it. "Nathan's having a pool party. And there's pizza."

"Sweet!" Brooke said in a happy tone. "Nathan's pool parties are legendary."

"Isn't it a little cold to be having a pool party?" Haley asked as she frowned. "It's November after all."

"Nathan's pool is heated," Brooke told her. "Once you're in there you're nice and toasty. We had a party near to Christmas one year."

"You guys are crazy," Haley said as she shook her head. "Do you want me to text him back with a reply?"

"Call him back and we'll talk to him," Brooke said. "Put him on loudspeaker."

"This should be interesting." Haley murmured as she pressed the call button. Lucas answered almost immediately.

"_Hey Pretty Girl_."

"Don't say anything else if you were going to take the conversation to the gutter," Haley said quickly. "You're on loud speaker."

"_Hey Hales,"_ Lucas said as he laughed. "_Where's Brooke?"_

"I'm driving," Brooke replied with a laugh. "So why are we going to Nathan's house? Where's Dan?"

"_We'll explain that when you get here,"_ Lucas told her. His tone sounded strange to her and she and Haley shared a brief look. "_Hales you don't need to bother stopping off at your house to get a swimsuit. Quinn already got you some stuff."_

"Okay," Haley replied. "Did she say which swimsuit she had picked for me?"

"_I have no idea,"_ Lucas replied. There were then several noises at the other end of the phone that the two girls couldn't figure out. "_Give me the phone back you ass."_

"_Haley, Quinn chose a nice little sexy number for you to wear,_" Nathan said in a happy tone. _"I'm picturing you in it right now."_

"Get a room you two." Brooke said as she rolled her eyes.

"_Brooke?"_ Nathan asked in a puzzled tone. "_I thought Luke was speaking to Haley."_

"He was," Haley said. "You're on speakerphone."

"_I'm glad I didn't say what I was going to,"_ Nathan said in a relieved tone. "_So how long is it going to take you two to get to my house?"_

"About another twenty minutes or so," Brooke told him. As she spoke a figure headed towards their car from the darkness. Brooke let out a surprised yelp as she hit the brakes. The car slowed but not quick enough and it ended up hitting the person slightly before it stalled. "Oh my God!"

"_Brooke what's happened?"_ Nathan asked in concern.

"I just hit somebody," Brooke said in a shaky tone. "They just came out of nowhere."

"_Where are you?"_ Lucas asked. He had obviously snatched the phone back from Nathan.

"Near the marsh." Brooke replied.

"_Brooke do __**not**__ get out of that car," _Lucas told her in a worried tone. "_Just leave them and get here ASAP."_

"Lucas I can't do that!" Brooke said in a horrified tone. "I need to call the cops and an ambulance."

"_Listen to me, you don't," _Nathan said. "_I think I know who it is who you hit and believe me they don't deserve your guilt or your help."_

"What are you talking about"? Brooke asked as she and Haley saw the figure move into a standing position. They both let out a shocked gasp as they saw who it was. "It's Dan. There's no way I caused all those injuries."

"_Brooke get the hell out of there,"_ Lucas said in a panicked tone. "_Lock the doors and drive. I promise you we'll tell you when you get here."_

"Okay." Brooke replied in a shaky tone as she and Haley pressed the locks down on the doors. Brooke then checked on Jenny and found her fast asleep in her car seat.

"Why is he grinning like that?" Haley asked Brooke in an uneasy tone.

"I don't know but it's as creepy as hell," Brooke replied as she tried to get the car started. "Come on."

"_What's going on?"_ Lucas asked.

"The car won't start." Haley told him as she double checked the locks on her side of the car.

"_Fuck!"_ Lucas muttered at the other end of the line.

"_Brooke remember what I told you the last time you stalled your car,"_ Nathan said as he heard her unsuccessful attempts to get her car going. "_Just do that and you'll be on your way in now time."_

"That's easier said than done," Brooke told him. "Especially when you're freaking me out by telling me to get away form your creepy dad."

"I think I might have had a nightmare like this once," Haley said as she watched Dan slowly advance towards the car. "He looks like he could be in a zombie movie the way he's walking."

"Finally!" Brooke said in a relieved tone as her car finally started. "I really shouldn't be driving in this kind of situation. I manage to stall it in normal circumstances. But throw in zombie Dan and I'm a wreck."

"_Brooke stop yapping and get your asses to my place,_" Nathan told her in a firm tone. "_Don't let him in your car."_

"Don't worry I'm not going to," Brooke said as she maneuvered the car around Dan and quickly sped away. "Your explanation better be good for freaking me out the way you did."

"_Trust me you'll be glad you didn't stop to help him once we explain why." _Lucas told her before they quickly said their goodbyes.

**~X~**

"Okay this better be good," Brooke said as she sat on Nathan's bed. "Especially considering I just broke the law by leaving the scene of an accident."

"I found the bracelet you lost last Halloween." Lucas told her as he sat beside her on the bed.

"You did?" Brooke asked as she frowned. He nodded in reply as he took hold of her hand. Her tone faltered as she asked. "Where was it?"

"In one of Dan's limos," Nathan replied after the two brothers had exchanged a look. Brooke's eyes widened at what she heard. "And the only person who was driving them that Halloween was Dan."

"Oh my God!" Brooke whispered as she looked at Nathan and Lucas in disbelief. "It was him?"

"Yes it was." Lucas replied softly as he and Nathan shared another look. Brooke saw it and frowned.

"What was that look for?" she asked as she looked from Nathan to Lucas. "What aren't you telling me?"

"When we _interrogated_ Dan he told us that he used protection," Lucas told her in a gentle tone. "He's adamant that somebody else took advantage of you after he left you in the alley."

"Oh my God!" Brooke said as tears began to fall down her face. "So not only did Dan do whatever he wanted with me, but somebody else did too?"

"Uncle Keith says that Dan is telling the truth." Nathan told her as he went and sat down at the other side of her.

"How do you know all this?" Brooke asked them.

"Me, Nathan, Uncle Keith and the guys interrogated him." Lucas told her.

"By interrogate I take it you're all responsible for how he looked when I almost ran him over?" Brooke asked as the tears continued to fall.

"Yes." Nathan replied softly.

"Is that how you hurt your hand?" Brooke asked Lucas as she saw the bandages that adorned his right hand.

"Yeah," Lucas told her. "The things that left his mouth were horrible. I couldn't control myself. I haven't been to the doctor about it yet."

"What was he saying?" Brooke asked.

"You don't want to know," Nathan replied. "Trust me."

"Were they about me?" Brooke asked.

"Some of them were," Lucas confirmed. "But there were several about me."

"If I'd have known all this when I was in the car I would have hit the son of a bitch while I was speeding," Brooke told them as Lucas wrapped his arms around her. She turned to him and began to sob. "Why did he do that to me?"

"He found our tape," Nathan told her in a guilty tone. Brooke quickly moved out of Lucas's embrace and turned to face Nathan. "I thought I'd recorded over it but he had obviously changed the tape before I did."

"You mean that tape we did when we were drunk and in your bedroom?" Brooke asked as hazy memories came back to her. Nathan nodded guiltily. "He _watched_ it?"

"Yeah," Nathan confirmed. He felt like an ass for insisting that they made that tape. "And I think he watched it more than once."

"Oh my God!" Brooke said as her face paled. "And that made him do what he did?"

"I think so," Nathan replied. "I feel so guilty. If I hadn't gotten that stupid idea in my head then he might not have done what he did when he saw you that Halloween."

"Nathan it's not your fault," Brooke told him. "You can't control what goes on in that sick brain of his."

"I can't help but feel responsible for starting his infatuation with you," Nathan replied. He debated for a few moments before he added. "He was obsessed with watching your time capsule video as well."

"Oh my God!" Brooke said as the shame from her actions in that video resurfaced. Her eyes then widened as a realization hit her. "If it was Dan that did that to me then why the hell are we here?"

"Brooke, it's okay," Nathan told her as Lucas watched feeling helpless. "My mom has a locksmith coming here any minute to change the locks. She and Karen are packing his stuff up and he's getting thrown out of here. If he tries getting back in then all we have to do is call the cops and tell them what he did to you."

"But then you'd all get in trouble." Brooke replied as she turned back to Lucas. The vulnerability written across her face had him comforting her in his arms once again.

"No we won't Pretty Girl," Lucas told her as he stroked her hair soothingly. "The pool party is our alibi. And Deb is going to back it up."

"So are the guys and their girlfriends," Nathan told her. "You have nothing to worry about regarding that Brooke."

"But if he's telling the truth about using protection when he raped me then the DNA the doctor took won't match and they'll let him go." Brooke replied. Her voice was muffled as she had buried her face against Lucas's chest.

"But when the cops look around his office at the dealership they're sure to find some evidence in there." Nathan told her.

"He took me to the dealership to attack me?" Brooke asked.

"He said he did," Nathan said softly. "And thinking back to that artwork you remembered seeing fits in with that place. He has some weird stuff on the wall in his office."

"We need to go there now then," Brooke said as she once again moved herself from Lucas's embrace. "Before he goes there. I need to make sure that it's the same artwork in case we do get the police involved."

"Let's go then." Nathan said as he stood. Lucas copied his actions and held out his hand to Brooke. She took a deep breath before she took his hand and hoped that she had the courage to go in there and see.


	22. Chapter 21

**Thanks for the reviews. Enjoy the update.**

* * *

><p>"Do you recognize anything in here yet?" Nathan asked Brooke as the three of them walked into the dealership. Nathan was glad that he knew the alarm code so that they could get in undetected.<p>

"No I don't," Brooke said as she looked around. "Is this place usually this creepy or is it just me because of what happened here?"

"I think it's this place," Lucas told her as he squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Places that are usually busy during the day always seem creepy at night."

"School is the same." Nathan told them.

"When have you been in school when it's been deserted?" Brooke asked him as she frowned.

"Do you remember Alex Dupree?" Nathan asked her.

"She was head cheerleader when we were freshman." Brooke replied.

"Well me and her had a little practical biology after class." Nathan told her.

"God, who _haven't_ you been with?" Lucas asked in a surprised tone.

"Let's not even go there," Nathan replied as they headed towards Dan's office. "Now isn't the time or the place to go over my past exploits."

"You're right it isn't." Lucas agreed as Nathan opened the door to Dan's office. He flicked the light on as the three of them walked inside. Brooke's eyes went to the wall behind Dan's desk and she stopped dead in her tracks.

"It was that picture wasn't it?" Nathan asked her gently. She could only nod in response. "I'm going to have a rummage in here and see if I can find any more incriminating evidence."

"I need some air." Brooke managed before she turned and ran out of the office.

"I'll go after her," Lucas replied. "If I see Dan arriving I'll yell."

"Okay," Nathan replied as he sent a concerned look in Brooke's direction. "Just make sure she's okay."

"I'll do my best," Lucas said before he left the office. Nathan then began his search as Lucas rushed outside. He found Brooke just outside the doorway. "How are you feeling?"

"Shocked, disgusted, scared," Brooke listed. "I'm freaking out because if Dan was telling the truth, then I'm still nowhere near finding out what happened and I probably never will."

"Brooke I know you have a lot to deal with now because of what you found out today," Lucas began in a soft tone. "But it won't do the baby any good if you get too stressed."

"God I even forgot that I was pregnant with all this being thrown at me," Brooke said before she burst into tears. "How did I even get pregnant in the first place? I took the morning after pill for crying out loud. Why didn't it work?"

"I don't know," Lucas replied as he gathered her into his arms. "The only thing that I can think of is that Peyton gave you the wrong drug."

"I wouldn't put that past her," Brooke replied as she held onto him tighter. "Not after what she did at Halloween."

"Do you think that she'll tell us if we ask her?" Lucas asked.

"Knowing her she wouldn't," Brooke replied. "And I'm not giving her the satisfaction of asking her."

"Yeah it's probably best that we don't." Lucas agreed as they heard Nathan coming towards the door.

"I found your shoe that went missing," Nathan said as he held it up. "It was in a locked drawer, along with some other stuff."

"What other stuff?" Brooke asked as she stared at her shoe. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know what other things had been in the drawer.

"There were some pictures," Nathan said in a serious tone. "And a memory stick. There was also a notebook that tells us what all the money was for."

"What money?" Brooke asked. Part of her didn't want to know what the pictures were of.

"We found a ton of money at the house in Dan's office," Lucas told her. "We moved it and put it somewhere safe so that he can't get to it."

"I see," Brooke replied. She then took a deep breath before she asked. "What were the pictures of?"

"What he did to you," Nathan told her in a soft tone. "They show exactly what he did to you and that you were out of it."

"There's the evidence we'll need for the cops," Lucas said. "That is if you want to go to the cops."

"That's what I was thinking," Nathan replied. "So let's get this place locked up and get the hell out of here."

"Where is the other stuff that was in the drawer?" Brooke asked.

"The memory stick is in my pocket and the notebook and the photos are tucked in the back of my waistband," Nathan replied. "I thought I'd hide the real incriminating stuff in case Dan turned up."

"You should reset the alarm and then we should go round the back and break his office window," Lucas said. "That way it'll look like a burglary."

"Good thinking," Nathan replied. "Dan doesn't have working CCTV in here because he's too cheap. We should smash that up too. That way the finger of suspicion might be pointed at someone else."

"Let's get started then." Lucas said.

"Actually you shouldn't touch anything," Nathan said in a thoughtful tone. "My fingerprints and DNA will already be all over here. I'll put some of the gloves on that the guys use when they're polishing the cars and get to work. You and Brooke can keep watch."

"Be careful Nathan." Brooke told him.

"I will," he replied. He then handed the notebook, photos, memory stick and shoe to Lucas. "I'll let you keep hold of that lot so I don't drop anything."

"Good thinking," Lucas replied as he took the items. "And like Brooke said; be careful."

**~X~X~X~X~**

"I can't believe that you didn't get your hand checked out." Brooke said to Lucas as they lay cuddled up together. They were in an upstairs guest room at Deb's house. The pool party was now in full swing and the two of them had gone to the room to get some peace and quiet so they could talk.

"If it's still hurting tomorrow I'll go then," Lucas promised her. "It'll give me more time to come up with a believable story. I mean I can't exactly tell them the real reason can I? The only thing I've come up with so far is that I trapped my hand in the door."

"You could always say that you got pissed off and punched a wall," Brooke suggested. "Or that you were doing weights and one fell on your hand."

"Yeah I could," Lucas replied as he stroked her hair. "How did you come up with those ideas so fast?"

"I've had plenty of practice in having to come up with believable stories quickly." Brooke told him as she sighed.

"I see," Lucas replied. "Have your stress levels gone down any yet?"

"A little."

"I bet the baby is glad." Lucas said as he kissed her temple and placed a hand on her lower abdomen.

"Yeah I bet it is," Brooke agreed. "You know, I've been thinking."

"About the baby?" Lucas asked when she went silent.

"Yeah," she replied. "You know how we were looking into finding out the paternity before it's born?"

"Yeah."

"Can we just wait until after?" Brooke asked.

"If that's what you want then that's what we'll do." Lucas assured her.

"But what if Nathan does turns out to be the father?" Brooke asked. "What do I do then?"

"If it turns out that Nathan is the father I can say that I'm the father if you want me to." Lucas told her.

"You'd be willing to do that?" Brooke asked in a surprised tone.

"Yeah I would," Lucas replied. "If the baby did turn out to be Nathan's, would you tell him?"

"I don't know," Brooke admitted. "I know the right thing to do would be to tell him. But then there's part of me screaming not to tell him if that happened. I just see it causing problems between him and Haley."

"Why?"

"Well look at the whole Jake and Peyton saga," Brooke replied. "Peyton got jealous because I was spending a lot of time with Jake and Jenny. Can you imagine how hard it would be for Haley if I had a child with Nathan?"

"I see your point," Lucas replied. "However, Haley isn't Peyton. She'd understand. I mean she got over what Nathan has done in the past regarding his sex life. She'd understand that you and Nathan made a baby before they were together."

"But what if she can't be understanding?" Brooke asked. "I don't want to be responsible for breaking up Naley."

"We've got time to think about what we'll do Pretty Girl," he told her as he kissed her temple once again. "You never know I might be the father. And then we'll have a whole other heap of problems to deal with."

"You mean whether the baby would have HCM or not?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah," Lucas replied. "If I am the father and he or she does have my heart condition, I'm going to feel so guilty. They won't be able to do a lot of stuff that their friends will be doing."

"I bet that was horrible for you growing up like that." Brooke said as she moved so that she could look at his face.

"It was," he admitted. "But I got used to it. I hated missing out on things though. At least the baby would have the both of us to support him or her when they're sad about not being able to do things."

"I bet you did," Brooke said in a soft tone. "And yes he or she will have the two of us."

"Are we going to go to the cops with the evidence we found at the dealership?" Lucas asked after another few moments of silence.

"I really don't know Lucas," she replied as she looked into his eyes. "I want him to be punished for what he did to me, but I don't think I have the strength to go through a trial. And knowing him he'll make it so that it would have to go to trial and then I'd have to listen to him lie about everything and I won't be able to tell my side of the story because I don't know it."

"We have the pictures," Lucas reminded her. "That's all the evidence we need."

"I think you're wrong Lucas," Brooke replied in a sad tone. "If he's telling the truth about there being another guy, then his lawyer is going to point out that there was no DNA from Dan present."

"How would he explain the pictures then?" Lucas asked. "Because it's clear to see in them that you weren't an active participant. And the way he was holding your hands down in one of the pictures proves it."

"I can't believe he took pictures," Brooke said as she shuddered. "That makes me feel even dirtier than before somehow."

"It's probably because you have confirmation that what he did was by force." Lucas replied as he stroked her hair once again.

"I wonder what is on the memory stick," Brooke said as she frowned. "I hope that there isn't anything on that that shows what he did to me."

"You mean like a video?" Lucas asked. She nodded her reply. "If there is then if you do decide that you want to report him to the police then there's more evidence against him."

"I can just imagine everybody's reaction if I did prosecute him and it ended up in the paper," Brooke said as she cuddled close to him once more. "They'd say that I deserved it and that I was asking for it."

"I don't care what anybody says," Lucas began. "No girl deserves to be attacked like that. I hate these stories that you hear where the guy blames it on what the girl was wearing rather than their own inability to take no as an answer."

"If every guy was like you Lucas Scott then the world would be a much better place," Brooke told him as she placed her head on his chest and closed her eyes. "I feel so tired."

"Well sleep then Pretty Girl," he told her as he continued to stroke her hair. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll keep you safe."

**~X~X~X~X~**

"How many stitches did they give you?" Nathan asked as he gently held her bandaged hand. The two of them were sat in the hot tub as they talked.

"Three," Haley replied. "It's only a little cut."

"I didn't realize that I was _that_ sexy," Nathan said as he chuckled. "I wasn't even there with you and my hotness distracted you."

"Don't let your head get any bigger than it already is." Haley said as she managed a smile.

"Which head are we talking about?" Nathan asked in a suggestive tone.

"Nathan!" Haley said as her eyes went wide. She looked around them and was relieved to see that they were alone in the hot tub.

"Relax Hales," he told her as he chuckled again. "The others are in the pool. Well the ones that haven't got a room that is."

"I'm just glad that your mom never heard that comment," Haley told him. "Or Keith and Karen."

"My mom's out doing an errand and Karen and Keith are in the lounge," Nathan told her. "So we have complete privacy."

"Yeah sure we do," Haley said as she rolled her eyes. "We're outside remember."

"Yeah we are," Nathan replied as he gave her a grin that made her insides turn to mush. "But trust me; nobody can see where we are right now. The hot tub is _very_ private."

"Do I want to know how you even know that?" Haley asked as she looked at him and raised her eyebrows.

"How about I just show you?" he asked in reply. As he did he gave her a look that clearly showed his intentions.

"Nathan," she replied as she looked around them again. She still saw nobody. "We could get caught."

"Relax we won't," he said as he moved closer to her and began to pepper kisses over her neck. "We'll be able to hear anybody that approaches; although that won't happen."

"How can you be sure?" Haley asked as she tried not to get lost in the sensations he was creating within her just from his feather light kisses.

"Because I did the signal for complete privacy," Nathan answered. "And like I said, if anybody did decide they were coming this way, we'd hear them and have plenty of time to stop and make ourselves presentable."

"I'm not allowed to get my bandage wet." Haley told him as she felt the last of her resolve begin to melt away under his kisses.

"It already is," Nathan remarked as he moved his lips to her ear. He then whispered. "Just like I'm hoping another part of you is."

"Nathan!" Haley gasped as he used one of his hands to check for himself.

"What?" he whispered before he moved his mouth to hers and kissed her deeply. The last of Haley's resolve completely vanished and her hands buried into his wet hair. Even the pain in her hand seemed to vanish as he began to tease her with his hand.

"Nathan." She murmured as her eyes fluttered closed.

"What?" he asked in a teasing tone. It caused her to open her eyes and look at him. She saw that his bright blue eyes were dancing with mischief.

"Don't tease me." She told him in a pleading tone.

"Okay then I won't," he replied as he grinned. "How about I show you how good I am at holding my breath underwater?"

"Huh?" Haley asked with a confused frown as Nathan submerged himself in the water. Haley's expression then changed to one of surprise as she realized what his words had really meant.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Dan picked up the overturned desk chair and set it the right way up, before his battered and bruised body slumped into it. As he regained his breath, he looked around at his trashed office and briefly wondered why the alarm company hadn't contacted him. The thought quickly left his head as his eyes fell on his filing cabinet and his anger level rose. He saw that the bottom drawer had been pulled out and the contents were nowhere to be seen.

He wondered why he hadn't put them in the safe at the house and cursed himself for leaving them at the dealership. His eyes then fell onto the pile of his belongings and he frowned. He then realized that someone in his family was responsible for the state of the dealership. He then noticed that there was a box of his personal effects on his desk and he managed a smile as he saw a bottle of brandy sticking out of it.

He reached out to pick it up and grunted as he did. His shoulder and arm protested at the movement. It didn't stop him from opening the bottle and taking several gulps of it. He grimaced as it burned his throat on the way down. He continued to drink the alcohol as he thought back over the evening's events. He grinned as he recalled the angry looks on the faces of Keith, Nathan and Lucas over what he had done to Brooke.

His grin grew as his thoughts went to Brooke. He recalled the look of fear on both hers and Haley's faces when they had seen him on the road. He had thought of walking over to the car and climbing in before having a re-run of what had happened on that Halloween night. However, he had seen Jenny in her car seat and had quickly decided against it. He knew that he was capable of bad things, but even he had limits.

He continued to drink the brandy as various images of Brooke went through his mind. He then felt his head becoming foggy and it became an effort to keep his eyes open. He had a fleeting thought that he obviously had a head injury from the earlier assault. A noise from outside his office door somehow managed to get his attention. The brandy bottle slipped from his hand and crashed to the floor as his eyes fell on a hooded figure. He tried to speak but it came out as a non coherent groan. The figure remained silent as they revealed a lighter. Dan's eyes moved to the flame as the figure dropped the lighter into the pile of Dan's clothes.

The clothing instantly caught fire and the figure headed back out of the office, closing the door behind them. Dan tried to stand, but found that he couldn't. All he succeeded in doing was falling into a heap on the floor. He tried to stand but again was unsuccessful. All he could do was close his eyes and wait for the flames to reach him.

**~X~**

"Did you get your errand done okay?" Karen asked Deb as she came into the lounge.

"I certainly did. At least we'll have things for breakfast tomorrow," Deb replied as she managed a smile. "Thanks for keeping an eye on the kids."

"We didn't really do much," Karen told her with a slight laugh. "We sat in here and watched some television."

"The place seems very quiet," Deb remarked as she frowned slightly. "Is everybody still here?"

"Yeah they are," Keith said as he came into the lounge with several cups of coffee. He handed one to Karen and then Deb before he sipped his own. "A bunch of them are sitting on the steps of the pool at the shallow end talking. Nathan and Haley are in the hot tub, Brooke and Lucas are upstairs and Jake took Jenny up there to try and get her settled."

"Did you run into Dan on your travels?" Karen asked as Deb and Keith sat down.

"Fortunately no," Deb replied. "Although I would loved to have seen the expression on his face when he sees his belongings in his office. An office which was trashed might I add. That must have been what triggered the alarm."

"Nathan?" Keith asked in a questioning tone.

"My guess is yes," Deb replied. "I'm wondering what they found at the dealership."

"Nathan said that was where Dan did what he did to Brooke." Keith said in a soft tone.

"I shouldn't be shocked by what he's capable of," Deb said as she sighed. "Yet somehow I still am every time something new comes to light."

"I can't imagine how Brooke is feeling right now," Karen said joining in the conversation. "I'm just glad that she has Lucas and Nathan to help her through."

"Those two boys are the only good things to come from Dan Scott." Keith remarked.

"I have to agree," Karen replied. She then frowned as she asked. "How angry did Lucas get with him?"

"Very angry," Keith replied. "But not too angry that he risked his health. He also told the other boys about his heart condition."

"He did?" Karen asked in surprise. Keith nodded.

"I hope Dan has the same problem," Deb said in a tone that showed just how much she despised Dan. "And that after the beating he got earlier that it kicks in and he dies. I can safely say that I won't miss him if that happened. He's done too many horrible things in his life."

"I don't think anybody would," Karen replied. "In fact I think I'll be dancing on his grave."

"There'll be a long line of people behind you to do the exact same thing." Keith told her.

"I can imagine there will be," Deb agreed. "When that happens we should make it a holiday so everybody can celebrate."

"Now there's an idea." Keith said as he chuckled.

"I wonder where he is." Karen said as she frowned.

"Hopefully lying dead somewhere," Deb said as she placed her coffee down. "I don't know about either of you, but I feel like I need a stronger drink. Do either of you want some scotch?"

"Normally I'd say no," Karen replied. "But given what's been discovered today and it being Friday night, I think I will have a glass."

"It'd be rude of me to not join you both," Keith said as he smiled. "So yes I'll have a glass too."

"You can have more than a glass," Deb told them. "There's plenty of room here if you need to stay overnight."

"Even with Nathan and his friends staying here?" Karen asked in a shocked tone.

"Yeah," Deb said as she crossed over to the drinks cabinet. "A lot of them will crash in the pool house. So there'll be plenty of room in the house for you both."

"Let's just hope that Dan doesn't turn up." Keith said.

"Even if he does he won't be able to get in now that I've changed the locks and the alarm codes," Deb told him. "So feel free to get as drunk as you want."

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Oh my God Lucas you need to get downstairs right now." Nathan said as he almost ran into Lucas in the upstairs hallway.

"Why?" Lucas asked with a frown.

"Because my mom, your mom and Uncle Keith are _totally_ drunk," Nathan said as he laughed. "They're doing karaoke right now."

"You're kidding?" Lucas asked as he laughed.

"Nope," Nathan replied. "I'm thinking of filming them and using it as blackmail if they ever decide to ground me in the future."

"That's a good idea," Lucas replied. "Let me just grab my phone and I'll join you."

"I'm going to get Haley too," Nathan told him. "You should get Brooke. It'll cheer her up after everything that happened today."

"Good thinking bro," Lucas replied. "What are they singing?"

"Some hip hop song." Nathan replied. He laughed as Lucas's eyes widened further in surprise.

"Are they trying to rap?" Lucas asked as he laughed.

"I've not heard them rapping yet," Nathan replied with another laugh. "But we should get down there quickly just in case that does happen."

"I can't imagine Uncle Keith doing karaoke to a hip hop song," Lucas said as the image played in his head. "But him trying to rap would be freaking hilarious."

"Oh it would," Nathan agreed as he went to his old bedroom door. "So like I said hurry up in case we miss it."

Lucas then hurried to the bedroom he and Brooke were sleeping in and headed inside. He grabbed his phone and informed Brooke of the situation and in a matter of moments they, Nathan and Haley were rushing down stairs to see what spectacle the adults were making of themselves.

"I can't believe that I'm actually witnessing this." Brooke said in a quiet tone to Haley as they stood in the doorway to the lounge.

"Me neither," Haley replied as she struggled to keep her laughter under control. "I never thought I'd ever see Keith attempting to rap."

"I'm just glad we didn't miss the rap part," Lucas said as he and Nathan filmed the sight on their phones. "I'm going to _love_ playing this back to them."

"Me too," Nathan agreed with a quiet chuckle. "I thought that if they were going to attempt karaoke then it would be the 80's hits one."

"They're actually not doing too bad." Haley replied as the song came to an end. The four teenagers then applauded causing Deb, Karen and Keith to send a surprised look in their direction.

"How long have you been there?" Keith managed to say as he hastily placed his microphone down.

"Long enough to hear you rap." Lucas replied with a chuckle as he placed his cell phone back into his pocket.

"I'll give you guys an A for effort anyway." Nathan added as he copied Lucas's actions.

"Now I know what to do when I need cheering up," Brooke said as she smiled. "Just ply you guys with liquor and make you do karaoke."

"This is a one off," Karen told her hoping that her words had come out correctly. "It'll never be happening again."

"Sure it won't," Lucas replied in an amused tone. "I didn't know you could dance mom."

"Well I did used to be a cheerleader in high school." Karen reminded him before she hiccupped. The four teens burst out laughing as Karen tried to keep her composure.

"I'm hungry," Deb suddenly said as she frowned. "Is the pizza place still open?"

"It is," Nathan told her through his laughter. "It's open all night on Fridays and Saturdays now."

"Great," Deb said as she made her way over to her purse on unsteady legs. "Uh Nathan. Can you check if I have money in my wallet? And then order pizza for everybody."

"Sure," Nathan replied as he laughed and made his way over to his mother. "Do you want your usual topping?"

"That would be great," Deb told him as she gave him a wonky smile. She then pulled him into a hug and held him tightly as she added. "It's so good to be back home with my baby boy."

"Mom!" Nathan said as he struggled to get out of her embrace. Lucas, Brooke and Haley cracked up once more. "Come on let me go."

"In a minute." She replied as she continued to hold onto him.

"Mom this could be classed as false imprisonment," Nathan told her as he awkwardly put his arms around her. "And that's against my rights."

"You want me to get a picture of this?" Lucas asked Haley in a quiet tone.

"That would be hilarious." Haley told him as she continued to laugh. Lucas took out his cell phone and quickly snapped the picture.

"Okay mom, you've had your hug now please can you let me go?" Nathan asked as he frowned.

"When did you grow up so much?" Deb asked as she sighed and moved away from Nathan. "It's like I've lost the last five years or so."

"Okay I'm going to go and order the pizza in the kitchen," Nathan said as he took some money from Deb's wallet. "It's safer in there."

"I think we better join you," Lucas said as he saw Karen advancing towards him. "I have a feeling that your mom gave my mom an idea."

"Let's go." Nathan said as he took hold of Haley's hand and began to lead her towards the kitchen. Lucas took Brooke's hand and followed them at the same quick pace.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Mom wake up," Nathan said in an urgent tone as he rushed into her bedroom. He flicked the light on and saw that she was still asleep. "Mom!"

"What?" came Deb's groggy reply.

"The cops are downstairs." Nathan told her. She slowly moved into a sitting position as she tried her best to get her eyes to focus.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Just after two a.m." Nathan told her.

"What do the police want?" she asked.

"There's been a fire at the dealership," he told her. "Dan is at the hospital."

"Is he alive?" Deb asked.

"At the moment yes," Nathan replied with a frown. "I don't even know if he's told the cops anything."

"Great," Deb said as she threw back the covers and climbed out of bed. Nathan saw that she was still fully dressed. "Tell them I'll be down in a minute. I just need to go and throw some water on my face to wake me up."

"Do you want me to make you some coffee?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah," she replied as she began to make her way towards the en-suite. "Ask the officers if they want some as well. Don't say anything until I get down there okay?"

"Okay," Nathan replied. "Shall I wake Karen and Keith up too?"

"Yeah that's a good idea," Deb told him as she frowned. "That way we can all say the same story. Wake Brooke and Lucas up too."

"What do we do if they ask Lucas about his hand?" Nathan asked in a worried tone.

"I'm sure he and Brooke have that story sorted by now," Deb assured him. "Hurry up and wake everyone up and get back to the officers before they wonder what's taking you so long."

"Okay." Nathan replied before he hurried out of her room. Deb sighed and tried to will the fogginess from her brain and hoped that Dan wasn't in a fit state to talk.


	23. Chapter 22

**Thanks for the reviews. Enjoy the update.**

* * *

><p>"Thank God Dan can't talk," Nathan said in a relieved tone once the police had gone. "I thought we were all in deep shit then."<p>

"Watch your language," Deb told him in a firm tone. "At least they bought the story about the pool party."

"Who would pull Dan out of the dealership?" Brooke asked as she frowned. "I mean who actually likes him enough to go into a burning building to rescue him?"

"That's a good question," Lucas replied. "I really can't think of anybody dumb enough to do that."

"Well we know that it wasn't any of us," Haley replied. "I mean that's when we were watching Tree Hill's newest hip hop artists."

"You know it's a good thing we made those videos," Nathan said. "I mean with the time and date that it was recorded gives us perfect alibis."

"If we didn't need those videos to prove that I'd tell you to delete them." Karen told Lucas as she shook her head.

"Sobering up now are you mom?" Lucas asked as he smiled.

"Be quiet you," Karen said as she smiled. "Before I ground you."

"I don't go anywhere to get grounded from." Lucas pointed out as he smiled back.

"Nobody likes a smartass," Keith told him as he shook his head. He then saw the time and added. "I think we should all be heading back to bed."

"Somehow I don't think I'll be able to sleep." Deb replied with a sigh.

"Me neither," Brooke agreed. "Although it's a good thing that Dan is in the hospital. That way we know where he is."

"I agree with that," Haley said. "Especially after we saw him on the road looking like a zombie."

"That was creepy," Brooke said as she shuddered. Lucas wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a comforting gesture. "I'm just glad that I managed to get my car started again. I dread to think what would have happened if I hadn't."

"Me too." Nathan agreed as he instinctively wrapped his arms around Haley.

"Come on let's get back to bed," Keith said. "We've got a long day at the club tomorrow. There's still a lot of work to be done before it opens."

"I think it's sweet how it's opening near my birthday," Nathan said before he yawned. "Man I can hear my bed calling me now."

"Same here," Brooke agreed as she too yawned. "I think I might actually have no trouble falling back to sleep. I feel real tired all of a sudden."

"Come on; let's get you up to bed." Lucas said as he and Brooke turned and headed out of the lounge. Nathan and Haley followed. They were then followed by Karen and Keith. Deb stood in the lounge for a few moments longer and hoped that what she had done wouldn't come back to haunt them.

**~X~X~X~X~**

The weeks passed quickly and Thanksgiving came and went. Deb soon realized that her fears of Dan telling the police about his beating were unfounded. When he had come around a few days after being admitted to hospital, he told the police that he remembered nothing. Deb, Karen and Keith hoped that was indeed the case and that he wasn't just biding his time as he came up with a revenge plan.

Deb had decided that she didn't want to live in the house that she had shared with Dan any longer. She had put the house up for sale and Dan had surprised her by agreeing to sell the place. She had also been surprised when he had granted her the divorce she had requested with no questions asked. She had found that out through her lawyer and was glad that she hadn't had to see him in person. She had purchased another house that was on the same street as Brooke's. Nathan had even moved there with her.

Brooke had decided against going to the police about what Dan had done to her. She didn't want the whole town to find out what he had done and that she had been in no fit state to fight him off. Even though it hadn't been her fault, she didn't want to give the gossips the satisfaction of saying I told you so. She had however changed her mind about finding out the paternity of the baby. She had seen how close Nathan and Haley had become and had decided it was best she found out who the father was as soon as she could. When she had told Lucas about her change of heart he had been supportive of her choice. The two of them were on their way back from the clinic after having the test carried out. They now had a five day wait to find out who the father was.

"Where do you want to go?" Lucas asked Brooke as he drove.

"We should go and help your mom at the club," Brooke told him. "I said that I'd help unpack the glasses and stuff."

"I hope you're not planning on doing any heavy lifting." Lucas replied as he gave her a quick sideways glance.

"Don't worry I won't," Brooke assured him. "I'll just be unpacking and washing. I'll have prune hands in a matter of minutes after starting."

"Wear rubber gloves then." Lucas suggested.

"If I did I'd probably drop the glasses and then your mom would have to order more." Brooke replied with a smile.

"Well how about I treat you to an early Christmas present and pay for you to have one of those fancy manicure things you and Haley were on about?" Lucas asked with a smile of his own.

"You'd really pay for one of those for me?" Brooke asked in surprise.

"Yeah I would," Lucas told her. "I've been saving up for a while."

"That's a lot of money Luke." Brooke told him.

"You're worth it Brooke." He told her in a sincere tone.

"Really?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes you are," he assured her as he glanced over at her once more. "Don't let other people tell you anything different."

"I'm not used to people saying things like that to me." She admitted with a sad sigh.

"Well you better get used to me saying things like that to you," Lucas told her as he reached over and took hold of her hand. He interlocked his fingers with hers before he placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. "Because I'm going to keep on saying things like that; whether you like it or not."

"How on earth did I get so lucky?" Brooke asked as she smiled.

"You deserve to be lucky after all the bad luck you've had in the past," he told her. "And if your luck keeps going on the up, then that baby you're carrying will turn out to be mine and him or her won't have my heart condition."

"That's if I don't miscarry after having that test done." Brooke replied as she frowned.

"I really don't like the thought of you going to the club to do manual labor," Lucas told her. "I'm going to take you back to my place so you can rest. I'll tell my mom that you're feeling ill and needed to go and lie down."

"But Luke I promised your mom that I'd help get the club ready." Brooke insisted.

"No buts Brooke Davis," Lucas told her. "You're going to go and lie down to rest. And if you object I'm going to tie you to the bed so you can't get up."

"Kinky." Brooke replied as she kinked her eyebrow.

"I didn't mean like that," Lucas said as he managed a chuckle. "I don't want you putting both yours and the baby's health at risk by not resting. I'll get all the glasses unpacked and washed. You just concentrate on making sure our baby is safe."

"I'll try my best," Brooke told him. "I really hope that the baby is yours Luke. I really wish that I could go back to that day and change it so that I wasn't with Nathan that way. I can't believe that I was such a slut. No wonder Dan targeted me that Halloween."

"Don't say that," Lucas said as he frowned. "What he did was _not_ your fault. Don't put yourself down like that Pretty Girl. You didn't deserve him doing that to you so don't convince yourself that you did okay?"

"I can't promise anything regarding that," Brooke told him. "But I'll try my best."

"That's all that I ask," Lucas replied as he pulled up outside his house. "Now do you want me to come inside with you and make sure that you've got everything you need?"

"No I'm good," she told him before she leaned across and gave him a loving kiss. "Call me when you get to the club so I know that you got there safely."

"I will," he assured her as he smiled. "You just make sure that you get some rest."

"I promise I will make sure that we're both rested," she replied as she climbed out of the car. She then reached in to pick up her rucksack. "And I promise I won't start any homework until you get back."

"Good. I like us doing homework together," Lucas replied. "And feel free to call me if you need me to get you anything or just want to talk."

"I will," she replied as she closed the door. She then headed round to the footpath which was at the driver's side. She gave him another kiss before she spoke again. "Now get going. The sooner you get everything done, the sooner you'll be back."

"I'll go once I've seen you go inside," Lucas told her. "So get walking."

**~X~X~X~X~**

The week seemed to drag by for both Brooke and Lucas as they waited for the test results to arrive. When Friday finally arrived, Lucas made sure to get up before Karen and Keith so he could get out and get the mail before either of them had a chance to. He opened the mail box and took the pile of envelopes from within. He then hastily looked through and was relieved to see the envelope that had Brooke's name on it. It also had the name of the clinic in one of the corners. He hastily folded it and put it into his back jeans pocket before he headed back inside.

"I was just heading out to get that," Keith said as Lucas handed the mail to him. "Is there anything interesting?"

"I don't think so," Lucas replied as they headed towards the kitchen. They went through the doorway and saw that Karen was in the process of making breakfast. "I think they're all bills."

"That wouldn't surprise me," Keith replied as he dumped the mail onto the kitchen table. "I'll open them later."

"Is Brooke up and about yet?" Karen asked Lucas.

"Yeah she is," Lucas told her. "She was deciding what to wear when I headed out to get the mail."

"Is she okay with having pancakes for breakfast?" Karen asked just as Brooke walked into the kitchen.

"Pancakes will be great," Brooke said as she smiled. "Can I request chocolate chips?"

"You can and you shall have them," Karen replied as she returned the smile. "What type of pancakes do you want Lucas?"

"Just plain ones for me mom," Lucas answered. "I'll just stick syrup on them."

"I'll have the same as Lucas." Keith added as he grinned.

"Well you can make the coffee." Karen told him. He chuckled as he headed over to the coffee maker and Brooke and Lucas sat at the table.

"Did it come?" Brooke whispered.

"Yeah it's in my pocket," Lucas whispered in reply. "I'll give it to you when we get in the car."

"Okay," Brooke answered. "My stomach doesn't feel right and I don't know if it's nerves or morning sickness."

"It'll be nerves," Lucas whispered in reply as he gave her a reassuring smile. "I know I'm as nervous as hell."

"What are you two whispering about?" Keith asked as he looked over at them.

"Leave them alone Keith," Karen said as she playfully dotted some pancake batter onto his nose. "Don't you remember how it was to be young and in love?"

"Yes I can actually still remember that far back," Keith replied with a chuckle. "Although I might start forgetting things in another ten years."

"You never forget anything," Lucas told him as he and Brooke stopped their hushed conversation. "You can list everything that I did that went against the rules since I turned four; and in chronological order."

"That's some memory," Brooke replied. "I don't think that I could remember stuff like that."

"You'll be surprised at what you can remember when you become a parent," Keith replied. "Trust me. You'll find out when you have children of your own."

"So you'll have a few years yet to work on your memory skills," Karen chirped in. "And a word of advice. When you do become a parent, just make sure that you don't get drunk and have a karaoke session that your child films."

"Trust me that will _never_ happen." Brooke said as she laughed.

"I'd never do that either." Lucas added as he too laughed.

"Hey Keith maybe you should do a TV ad for the auto shop and have some rapping in it." Brooke suggested in a playful tone.

"Are you kidding me?" Keith asked as he gave her a look. "If I did that I'd be scaring customers away and business would go downhill, not improve."

"So you won't be doing karaoke at the club then?" Lucas asked as he chuckled.

"Of course I will," Keith replied with a laugh of his own. "I'll make sure to do it when you have all your friends there. I'll even dedicate the song to you."

"No you're good thanks," Lucas replied as he frowned. "That image is kind of disturbing yet funny at the same time."

"I have to agree," Keith said as he continued to laugh. "I'm sure the cops are having the time of their lives telling everybody about the video they witnessed."

"I'm glad it wasn't us on them." Brooke said with an amused smile.

"I bet you are," Keith replied. "So who wants coffee and who wants juice?"

"Juice for me please." Brooke answered.

"Me too." Lucas told him.

"Have you taken your medication yet?" Karen asked.

"Not yet," Lucas replied as he stood. "I'll do it now."

"Good idea." Karen replied as she returned her attention back to the pancakes. Lucas then headed over to the cupboard that housed his medication. Brooke watched him as he did and wondered what the letter from the clinic said.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Okay gimme the letter already." Brooke said when they were far enough away from the house on their way to school. Lucas quickly fished it out of his jeans pocket and handed it to her before placing both hands back onto the steering wheel.

"Don't tell me until I've parked the car at school," Lucas told her. "I don't want to be causing any accidents."

"Okay I won't." Brooke replied as she stared at the envelope in her hands. She kept staring it as Lucas continued to drive.

"You know we'll be at school in a few minutes," Lucas told her in a gentle tone. "Maybe you should open it in case you need to compose yourself."

"I'm trying to will my fingers to open it but they don't want to move," Brooke told him. "I'm scared of what it might say."

"I'll be here to support you no matter what it says." Lucas told her as he turned onto the road that led to the school.

"Thank you," Brooke replied. She then let out a sigh as she said. "I'm going to open it."

Lucas remained silent as Brooke turned the envelope over and began to tear it open. The noise of the paper tearing seemed incredibly loud to the both of them. Brooke then pulled the paper from the envelope, unfolded it and then began to read. She remained silent as Lucas pulled into the school parking lot and found her usual parking space. He gave her an expectant look as he switched the engine off. She just folded the piece of paper back up and put that and the enveloped into her coat pocket. She then climbed out of the car. Lucas quickly followed and met up with her at the trunk as they went to get their book bags.

"Its bad news isn't it?" Lucas asked. Brooke didn't say anything. Instead she went on her tip toes and kissed him passionately. Lucas found his arms instinctively wrapped around her. The kiss lasted several minutes before Brooke pulled away. "What was that for?"

"Do you have a problem with me kissing my baby daddy?" she asked in a soft tone as she smiled.

"You're kidding?" he asked in a surprised tone.

"Nope," she replied as she took the letter back out of her pocket and handed it to him. He quickly unfolded it and read what was written. "See."

"I _knew_ I was the father," Lucas said as he smiled widely. "Now we just have to figure out how we tell our parents."

"I want to wait until after the first trimester is over," Brooke said. "You heard what the doctor said. Things still might go wrong."

"That's a good idea to wait until then," Lucas said. "It'll give us more time to figure out how we're going to tell them."

"Exactly," Brooke replied. "And we get Christmas and New Year out of the way."

"That'll definitely be taking you into the second trimester," Lucas replied as he closed the trunk. "Now I better escort you and _our_ baby to class. We don't want to be late."

"Can we go past the soda machine on the way?" Brooke asked in a hopeful tone. "I have a sudden urge to have some Dr. Pepper."

"You can have anything you want Pretty Girl." Lucas told her as he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her forehead. Brooke linked her fingers through his that were resting on her waist and the two of them walked into school with happy smiles on their faces.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Why are you two smiling like that?" Haley asked as Brooke and Lucas joined the table where their friends were sat.

"Because we're young and in love." Lucas replied. Brooke giggled at his reply.

"Yeah that's pretty much it," Brooke agreed. "Well that and it's Tric's opening night tonight"

"I'm pretty psyched for that," Nathan said in a happy tone. "I like the whole opening party mixed with my 18th birthday party. It's going to kick some serious ass."

"I can't believe how fast the tickets sold out," Lucas said as he and Brooke began to eat. "I've had several people come up to me between classes asking me if I can put their names on the guest list. I don't even know half of them."

"That's what happens when you're popular Luke," Nathan told him. "You should get used to it for the remainder of high school."

"It's scary to think that high school is going to be over in a mater of months." Rachel said as she frowned.

"Have you decided if you're going to college yet?" Lindsey asked her.

"I have and I'm not," Rachel replied. "High school is way too much for me. I'll be lucky to graduate. So why put myself through another four years of hell?"

"That's just made my day," Owen said as he smiled. "That means you'll still be here when I start work at my dad's construction company."

"I can't wait to see you at work," Rachel said as she smiled widely. "Especially on a hot day when you'll be all shirtless and muscley."

"Okay please remember where you are Rach!" Quinn said as she shook her head.

"Please do," Clay added. "The last thing I need today is to witness the two of you getting up to whatever freakiness you do."

"Plus you'll get detention if you get carried away." Mouth pointed out.

"And that might make you late for the party tonight." Millie added.

"Are you coming tonight Jake?" Mia asked.

"As of right now, yes I am," Jake replied. "My parents said that they would watch Jenny."

"So who is wearing what?" Bevin asked. "I don't want to wear the same as anybody else."

"I'm wearing my red halter neck dress," Brooke said after she had hastily swallowed the bite of her sandwich. "So none of you girls can wear a red dress."

"So one of us guys could?" Julian asked as he chuckled.

"If you wanted to then yes," Brooke replied as she laughed. "But I think pink is more your color Julian."

"I have to agree," Lindsey said as she laughed. "I'd pay to see him in a pink dress."

"If you want to see that so much I can do it for you when we get back to my place after Tric." Julian told her.

"Man please do _not_ over share right now," Skills said as he frowned. "I want to eat my lunch without being repulsed."

"How about we all get ready together?" Quinn suggested. "That way we won't wear the same or clash."

"Great thinking Quinn!" Rachel said as she smiled.

"That's actually a great idea," Brooke agreed. "Seeing as though my house is still parentless we can get ready there. And everyone can stay over again in the rooms you guys had at Halloween."

"Great thinking Brooke," Nathan replied. "That way if Jake manages to get himself a girl he can get lucky."

"I've been there, done that and got a daughter to prove it." Jake reminded him.

"Well use a condom to avoid giving her a little brother or sister then." Chase said.

"Says the guy who once said that he was waiting until he got married before he slept with a girl." Owen remarked with a chuckle.

"That was before I met Mia," Chase replied. "She's kind of hard to resist."

"I don't know how to take that comment." Mia said with a playful frown.

"Trust me you should take it in a good way." Chase assured her.

"What time shall we meet at yours then?" Haley asked Brooke.

"I'm not sure," Brooke replied. She was silent for a few moments as she thought. "Well we have to be at Tric for seven thirty, so how about we head to mine straight after school? Obviously you guys will need to get your stuff so head over there after you have the things you need."

"What are we going to do about dinner?" Skills asked.

"We'll order pizza," Nathan told him. "I'm sure our parents won't mind."

"I have a feeling that it's going to be a very entertaining night." Brooke said as she smiled. The others agreed with her as they went back to eating their lunches.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"What are we doing in here?" Nathan asked as Haley led him into one of the dressing rooms at Tric that they had made for bands.

"I'm giving you an early birthday present," Haley replied as she locked the door. "I don't want anybody walking in while I'm giving it to you."

"Wow you _do_ know where my mind just went with you saying that right?" Nathan asked after he had swallowed hard.

"I know," Haley told him as she gave him a naughty smile. "And for once your mind is going in the right direction."

"Damn," Nathan replied as his throat dried up. "We're going to have sex in here whilst there's a club full of people at the other side of that door?"

"Maybe," Haley replied in a coy tone. Nathan gave her a quizzical look in response. "We're going to do something that we haven't done yet. Well what _I_ haven't done yet."

"Which is?" Nathan asked as he ran through everything they had already done in his head.

"Something that you really like," Haley answered. "And I know all the little things that Brooke used to do while she had her Nathan popsicle."

"Haley, if you're not comfortable doing that then you don't have to do it." Nathan told her.

"I want to," Haley assured him. "Although you have to remember I've never done this before so I'll need you to tell me if I'm doing it right."

"I will."

"I'm just worried that I might accidentally bite you." Haley admitted as she frowned.

"I trust you not to bite me," Nathan said as he smiled. "Now where do you want me?"

"You sitting will be the best way right?"

"For me yes," Nathan replied. "Your knees might get a little sore. Although I don't think you'll be knelt down for long."

"Why?" Haley asked with a slight frown.

"Because with you doing what you're about to it won't be long until I'm having a major happy." Nathan told her.

"I see," Haley said as she smiled shyly. "Is that good?"

"Well it depends on how you look at it," Nathan replied with a grin. "For my ego probably not. But every other way it is."

"I don't want to hurt your ego." Haley replied with a slight chuckle.

"You would never be able to hurt that because you're you," Nathan told her. He then frowned and asked. "Did that make any sense?"

"I got what you meant," Haley replied. She then took a deep breath and said. "Okay let's get started with your gift."

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Your hands are a _long_ way south of my waist right now." Brooke said to Lucas as they danced together.

"That's because your butt is too tempting. I just had to squeeze it," Lucas replied as he grinned. "Do you want me to move them?"

"I think you're good for now," Brooke replied. "Your mom and Uncle Keith look a little busy at the bar."

"It's good this place is as packed at it is," Lucas told her. "And if it carries on like this they'll get the money it cost to sort this place out back in no time."

"Speaking of money, who else knows about the money you and Nathan found?" Brooke asked.

"Just you, me and Nathan," Lucas told her. "I'm not sure if he's told Haley or not."

"What are you going to do with it?" Brooke asked.

"I have no idea," Lucas replied with a thoughtful frown. "I guess we'll have to sit down and discuss it. If we don't hand it over to the cops we'll probably split it."

"Did you look at the flash drive yet?" Brooke asked.

"No we haven't," Lucas told her. "We're kind of dawdling about it because we don't know what's on it."

"Maybe it's just a back up of that notebook you found," Brooke told him. "I just hope there's not more stuff about what he did to me on it. Or any other girls."

"That's why we're kind of hesitant to look at it," Lucas admitted. "Because if it did turn out that there was more regarding what he did to you, then I'd have to go and beat his ass again."

"I'm glad that your hand wasn't broken after all." Brooke told him as she placed a light kiss against his pulse point.

"Me too," Lucas replied. "And I'm glad that they bought the story of me dropping weights on it."

"Me too." Brooke repeated as she kissed the same spot again.

"You know if you carry on doing that I won't be responsible for my actions." Lucas told her in a strained tone.

"Well what would you do if I told you that I was horny?" Brooke asked as she moved her mouth closer to his ear. Her breath tickled as she spoke.

"Get incredibly turned on." Lucas replied before he swallowed hard. Brooke saw his throat move as he did.

"That's what I was hoping for." Brooke replied.

"I don't think that this is an appropriate conversation for where we are right now." Lucas told her.

"Is that because we can't do anything about it?" she asked.

"Yes." He admitted.

"Well how about you join me in the bathroom?" Brooke asked as she looked up into his eyes and kinked her eyebrow. Any resolve Lucas might have had quickly left him at that point.

"Actually I have a better idea," Lucas replied as he moved his hands from her ass. "There are dressing rooms that are vacant. There'll be more privacy in one of those than there would in a toilet cubicle."

"Good thinking Sherlock," Brooke replied as he took hold of her hand. "Lead the way."

**~X~X~X~X~**

"That was just wow!" Nathan said as he regained his breath. He was now slumped on the sofa he was sat on. Haley grinned up at him from her spot knelt on the floor between his legs.

"Really?" she asked in a surprised tone.

"_Hell_ yeah," Nathan told her as he grinned back. "I definitely won't ever forget what I got for my 18th birthday."

"That was only part of what I had planned for you." She told him as she stood and moved to sit beside him.

"What else did you have in mind?" Nathan asked in a curious tone.

"Brooke helped me with the wording of what I'm about to say because I wasn't quite sure what sounded right." Haley began.

"Seriously?" Nathan asked. It was his turn to sound surprised. "My Haley James, the genius of Tree Hill High didn't know what sounded right?"

"Yeah," Haley admitted before she paused. She then took a deep breath and said. "With it being a special birthday for you I'm giving you an all access pass."

"To what?" Nathan asked eagerly.

"Me. Any way you want in the bedroom," Haley told him sounding more confident than she actually felt. Nathan's reaction was his jaw dropping in shock. "Okay I don't think that I expected a reaction like that."

"I just wasn't expecting you to say that," Nathan replied when he found his voice once again. "Are you serious? I can have you any way that crosses my mind?"

"As long as there are no things like spanking and stuff like that." Haley told him. Again Nathan's reaction was one of surprise.

"I'd never do that to you," he told her as he quickly sorted his jeans out. "I think we need to get out of here and get back to Brooke's."

"I take it your imagination is now in overdrive?" Haley asked with a smile.

"_Hell_ yeah," Nathan said as he grinned. He then stood and held his hands out to her. "But trust me it's nothing crazy and out there."

"I'm glad to hear it." Haley said as she took his hands in hers. He then pulled her to her feet.

"Do I look presentable?" he asked. She gave him a quick once over and nodded.

"What about me?" she asked.

"You look as perfect as ever," he told her. "Now we _really_ need to go. I don't know how much longer I can hold myself in line."

"Let's go then." Haley told him. The two of them then headed over to the door and Nathan hastily unlocked it before the two of them rushed through. As they did, Nathan collided with Lucas.

"Sorry bro," Nathan apologized. "I didn't see you there."

"Same here," Lucas replied. He then grinned as he added. "Three guesses what you two have been up to in there."

"Like you and Brooke weren't hurrying along here to do exactly the same thing." Nathan replied with a grin of his own.

"Can we have a little chit chat later?" Brooke asked in an impatient tone. "Now isn't a good time for me."

"Sure," Nathan replied as he and Haley moved out of the way. "We're heading back to yours now anyway. I have birthday presents waiting."

"I don't even want to know." Lucas said as he and Brooke headed into the dressing room. Nathan chuckled as the door was quickly closed and he and Haley heard the sound of the lock turning.

"Come on let's go," Nathan said to Haley. "I have a feeling that we won't be the only ones heading back to Brooke's house early."


	24. Chapter 23

**Thank you all so much for the reviews. I hope you enjoy this update.**

**Leeese**

* * *

><p>The next morning, Brooke, Lucas, Nathan, Haley, Lindsey, Julian, Rachel, Owen, Millie and Mouth all headed to Tric to begin clearing up the mess from the night before. Jake was with Jenny and the others were still sleeping off the previous night. The gang had agreed to clean up the mess for Karen and Keith while they were working at the café and the auto shop. Deb was due to stop by later in the morning to take the previous night's takings to the bank. Rachel and Owen were feeling a little worse for wear as they had overdone it with the alcohol the previous night. They had sneakily gone into a dressing room so that they could sleep off their hangovers a little more.<p>

"Are you okay doing that?" Lucas asked Brooke as she retrieved the bottles, glasses and various items of trash from the floor. He was concerned by the amount of bending she was doing.

"I'm fine Luke," she assured him. She had a quick look around before she quietly added. "_We're_ fine."

"I'm just checking," he replied as he moved to help her. "I don't want you overdoing it."

"And we don't want you overdoing it," Brooke told him as she stopped what she was doing. She moved closer to Lucas and wrapped her arms around him. "I can't do this whole parent thing without you."

"Ditto." Lucas replied before the two of them shared a loving kiss.

"Aww isn't that sweet?" a voice asked in a sarcastic tone. Brooke and Lucas abruptly stopped their kiss and they and their friends turned to look at the person who had spoken.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Lucas asked in an angry tone.

"Now that's not a very nice welcome is it?"

""Why the hell would we give you a nice welcome?" Brooke asked in the same tone Lucas had used. "Especially after what you've done."

"What I want to know is _how_ you got here," Nathan said joining in the conversation. "Aren't you supposed to be incarcerated for stabbing yourself?"

"They let me out early for behaving myself," Peyton replied with a sly grin. "My lawyer convinced another judge that my punishment was overly harsh. And isn't that a long word for you to be using Nate? The tutoring must _really_ be paying off."

"Fuck you!" Nathan replied. "Do you not realize that you're not welcome here?"

"She never has been the brightest." Julian said as he glared at Peyton.

"Get out!" Lucas said, still using the same angry tone. "You're barred. Don't bother showing your face at the café or the auto shop either."

"Well I know that I can't go to the dealership. I mean it doesn't exist anymore after the fire." Peyton said. She still had the smug smile on her face. Brooke's face paled as she reached an assumption.

"Oh my God! It was you!" Brooke said as she gave her an accusing glare. "It figures. Only someone with your morals would rescue that bastard from being burned in the fire."

"As much as I would like to take credit for saving a man who makes your life hell, it wasn't me," Peyton replied. "I just got released yesterday. If you don't believe me you can ask my lawyer and check my release paperwork."

"Just get the hell out!" Haley yelled. "If you don't leave now, I'm calling the cops to get them to remove you. I bet there are conditions of your release where you're not allowed to some within a certain vicinity to Brooke."

"So what if there are conditions like that?" Peyton asked.

"Well if you break them then your skanky ass will be thrown back in jail." Lindsey told her. Peyton was silent for a few moments before she spoke again.

"Well I'll be going then."

"Nobody is going anywhere." Another voice said. It came from the direction of the door. All eyes moved to the person that had spoken. They widened at the sight of the gun that the newcomer held.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"I wonder how the kids are getting on at the club." Karen said as she joined Deb at the counter. She held a coffee in each hand and passed one to Deb.

"I think they'll be managing fine," Deb replied as she massaged her temples. "At least they'll be in better shape than me. I think I got a little carried away with the liquor last night."

"I just hope that the kids aren't getting carried away with it while they're supposed to be cleaning." Karen said with a sigh.

"I have every faith that they're doing what they went there to do," Deb told her. "And as soon as I've had this coffee and woken up a little more I'll get over there and get those takings to the bank. I planned to do it earlier but I ended up sleeping in."

"I'm not surprised," Karen said with a slight laugh. "You partied hard last night."

"I didn't plan on doing that," Deb admitted. "It just sort of happened."

"I think you deserved to let your hair down after everything Dan put you through." Karen told her.

"What that asshole did to me is nothing in comparison to what he did to Brooke," Deb replied. "Or Lucas."

"At least he finally got a taste of his own medicine," Karen said. "It was about time he got that after years of torment."

"I whole heartedly agree with you," Deb replied before she sipped her coffee. "I think I might even attempt some food before I head over to deal with the takings. I still have plenty of time."

"Well just let me know what you want when you're ready." Karen said before she got up and headed over to a table to deal with a customer.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Let's not do anything crazy here okay?" Lucas asked as he stepped protectively in front of Brooke.

"Like walking in here with a gun isn't?" Nathan asked in a shocked tone.

"Nathan!" Haley said in a quiet tone as she took hold of his hand. He looked at her and saw the pleading look in her eyes. He decided to remain quiet.

"What do you want?" Mouth asked as he copied Lucas's protective gesture by stepping in front of Millie.

"I want a lot of things. But right now at the top of my list are last night's takings."

"What is wrong with you?" Julian asked. "You talk like you're asking for a drink; not waving a fucking gun at people."

"People who are supposed to be your friends." Haley added.

"Yeah they're _supposed_ to be. I haven't had any since that whole fucking time capsule got released."

"And who's fault is that Jimmy?" Mouth asked as he glared at the lone figure in front of them.

"Nobody forced you to say all that." Millie added as she moved closer to Mouth.

"Where did you get the gun from Jimmy?" Lucas asked.

"That's none of your business," Jimmy replied. "Just get me the money!"

"That's not going to happen," Lucas told him. "For a start there is no money on the premises and secondly I couldn't get in the safe if I wanted to; I don't know the combination."

"Stop lying Luke," Jimmy told him. "I know for a fact that the takings are still here. Deb hasn't been to collect them yet."

"And how the hell would you know something like that?" Nathan asked angrily.

"I _could_ tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," Jimmy said as he pointed the gun at Nathan. He got a strange feeling of satisfaction at the glimmer of fear that flickered in Nathan's eyes. "You'd be surprised at the connection I have to your mother."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Nathan asked as he took a menacing step towards Jimmy. A click from the gun made him stop in his tracks.

"Take one more step and I'll shoot you." Jimmy warned.

Haley moved behind Nathan and wrapped an arm around his waist as she willed him not to do anything stupid. Mouth and Lucas studied their former friend. The once kind and considerate gaze Jimmy had, was now replaced with a cold, eerie gaze that sent shivers down their spines. They could tell that he was deadly serious about using the weapon.

"Why are you doing this?" Mouth asked after several moments of silence.

"Why do you think?" Jimmy asked in response. "I'm sick and tired of being beaten up and harassed on a daily basis. It was bad enough when I had my friends to confide in. Can you imagine what it's like for me now? Not even my own mother has the time to listen to me anymore. So I'm doing what everybody has been saying I should; I'm leaving Tree Hill. But to do that I need money. So the sooner I get it, the sooner all this will be over and I can get on my way."

"Like I told you, I can't get in the safe." Lucas told him.

"Then I guess we're waiting until Deb gets here," Jimmy said in a firm tone. "And after the amount she put away last night it could be a while."

"Then just keep _me_ here," Lucas said. "Let everyone else go."

"I like that idea." Peyton said as she once again tried moving towards the door.

"Like I said; nobody is going anywhere," Jimmy repeated as he moved the gun to point it at Peyton. "Get over to the bar."

"Like hell I am." Peyton replied. Jimmy stomped towards her and pressed the gun against her forehead.

"Really?" he challenged. "Unless you want your brains plastered all over the wall, get over to the bar."

"Okay, I'm going." Peyton said after several moments of deliberation. She then reluctantly walked to the bar and took a seat on a stool.

"The rest of you should take a leaf out of her book," Jimmy said. "Get moving."

The gang shared debating glances with each other before they complied with Jimmy's orders.

"I'm _not_ sitting near her." Brooke said as she glared at Peyton and moved to get a seat as far from Peyton as she could.

"It's always got to be about what _you_ want doesn't it Brooke?" Jimmy asked in a tone full of disgust. "It's your fault that all this shit happened in the first place."

"What are you talking about?" Brooke asked in a confused tone.

"It's _your_ fault that my friends turned against me. All Lucas wanted to do was get in your pants; along with every other guy in Tree Hill," Jimmy began. Now the floodgates had been opened, he found it easy to say everything that had been bottling up. "And if you weren't such a slut then I wouldn't feel as guilty as I do and then I wouldn't have said everything that I did in the time capsule. And ultimately I wouldn't need the money to get away."

"Why the hell is that my fault?" Brooke demanded angrily. "And I am _not _a slut!"

"If you're not a slut then why the hell did you have sex with Dan Scott in an alley?" Jimmy asked. Lindsey, Millie and Mouth gasped in shock, while Peyton grinned in amusement. Brooke paled even further as the others glared at Jimmy.

"What the hell are you talking about Jimmy?" Mouth asked.

"If you really want to know, I'll tell you." Jimmy replied before he began to tell his story.

**~X~X~X~X~**

_Jimmy was walking along the sidewalk on his way home from Mouth's house. He was running late and had decided to take a short cut through an industrial area. It was times like these that he wished he had a car. He heard a noise from an alley and stopped in his tracks. He then noticed the black car that was parked up in the shadows. He quickly hid and kept his eye on the alley. He hoped that he hadn't been spotted. He saw a man emerge from the alley and his eyebrows rose in surprise as he saw that it was Dan Scott. He saw him adjust his tie as he looked around to make sure that he was still alone. Jimmy was glad that he had hidden. He then heard Dan say._

"_I'm leaving you with the trash where you belong."_

_Jimmy was curious to know who he was talking to. He heard a car door close and then the car started. Jimmy sunk further back in his hiding place as the car sped past where he was. He held his breath as the car went past in case he had been spotted. He let it out when he heard the car continue on. After what seemed an eternity, Jimmy cautiously crept out of his hiding place. He began to continue on his journey home. However, when he reached the entrance to the alley way, his curiosity got the best of him. He paused and debated whether or not to go and investigate. He found his feet had made the decision for him and he was walking into the alley. _

_About halfway along there were several dumpsters. He went past them and stopped in his tracks at what he saw. Brooke was in an ungracious heap on the floor. He swallowed as he saw that what she was wearing didn't cover what it was supposed to and everything was on display to him. Her spandex pants were only on one leg and the remains of her barely there top did nothing to cover her chest. He also noticed that she only had one ridiculously high shoe on. He found that he was glad that the moon was full that night and gave him adequate lighting to take in a sight that he thought he would never have seen. _

_He then knelt beside her and reached out to shake her. He got no response as he did. He tried again and there was still no response from her. He began to panic as he jumped to the conclusion that Dan had murdered her. He was relieved when he checked for a pulse and felt it beating strongly. As he moved his hand away from her neck, he accidentally brushed over an exposed breast. He felt a rush shoot through him at the feel of her silky flesh under his fingertips. He couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to do what Dan had obviously done to her. Before he realized what he was doing, he was unfastening his jeans and had thrust into her. _

_It was over in a matter of moments and Jimmy heaved for breath as he almost crushed Brooke beneath him. As he finally got his breath back the reality of what he had just done hit him. He quickly moved off her and stood. He fastened his jeans back up and stood back from her. He felt the nausea begin to build up within him and he rushed to the side of the alley as he threw up. He couldn't believe that he had just done what he had. He began to panic as Brooke made a noise that sounded like she was in pain. He glanced over at her and saw that she was beginning to come around. He quickly ran out of the alley and continued home. He ran through his front door and leaned against it. A feeling of dread overcame him as he realized that he hadn't used any protection. He went up to his room and sat on his bed with his head in his hands. He wondered how long it would be before the police tracked him down._

**~X~X~X~X~**

"What are you doing?" Owen asked as he walked over to the door.

"Ssh!" Rachel said in an urgent tone as she quickly and quietly closed the door. She then turned to Owen and added. "Jimmy Edwards turned up and he's demanding the takings."

"Let me get past then. I'll go and beat the crap out of him." Owen said as he tried to move past Rachel.

"No!" she hissed as she put a hand on his chest to stop him. "He has a gun!"

"A gun?!" Owen asked as his eyes widened in alarm. Rachel nodded in confirmation. "Shit."

"He's made everyone sit at the bar," Rachel continued. "And if it isn't bad enough, Peyton is here."

"Peyton? Did she break out of jail or something?"

"I have no idea," Rachel said as she frowned. "I just overheard Jimmy telling a story too."

"About what?"

"It was something to do with Brooke and Dan in an alley," Rachel began in a disgusted tone. "And after Dan left her there, Jimmy went and had a go himself."

"I'm going to punch his fucking lights out!" Owen said in an angry tone. "But first of all, you're getting gout of here."

"How?" Rachel asked with a frown. "Jimmy isn't letting anyone walk out of here. And I'm not going anywhere without you."

"Rach honey, you need to get out of here. Somebody needs to go to the cops and tell them what's happening," Owen told her as he cupped her face in his hands. "I need you safe. The fire exit is just a few steps away. Leave that way and run as fast as you can."

"I'm not a good runner Owen." Rachel said in a small voice. She didn't want to leave him and her friends. She also didn't like the thought of her friends having to rely on her for help.

"It doesn't matter," he assured her. He grinned as he added. "At least you're wearing sneakers for a change."

"Kiss me before I go?" Rachel asked in a questioning tone. Owen lowered his head and their lips joined in a loving kiss.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"You bastard!" Lucas yelled as Jimmy finished his tale. Before anyone could even blink, Lucas launched himself at Jimmy. He managed to punch Jimmy a few times before Nathan and Julian pulled him away.

"Oh my God!" Brooke said in a shocked tone as she tried to process what she had just heard. "Both you _and_ Dan raped me that night."

"What?!" Jimmy asked in a shaky tone. "You mean you didn't go there willingly with him?"

"Of course she didn't Jimmy," Haley said as she scowled. "What do you take her for?"

"A slut?" Peyton piped up. "That is what she is after all."

"Shut your spiteful mouth," Haley yelled as she glared at Peyton. "The last thing we need right now is the crack whore mouthing off."

"Yes keep your mouth shut," Jimmy said as he began to pace. He ran a hand through his hair as he did. "I didn't know that you didn't go there willingly. I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Brooke asked in a disgusted tone. "Even if I had gone in the alley with Dan willingly, what you did to me was still wrong. You disgust me."

"I'm shocked that Dan actually told the truth for once." Nathan remarked as he remembered Dan's words when they had beaten him.

"Yeah me too." Lucas said in a dry tone as he went back to Brooke's side.

"Oh my God it was you!" Brooke said as if she had just realized something. She glared at Jimmy as tears filled her eyes. "It was you!"

"I'm sorry." Jimmy replied meaning it more than he had before.

"Your apology means _nothing_ to me," Brooke told him in a cold tone as tears ran down her cheeks. "Not after what you put me through."

"Jimmy let Brooke go," Lucas pleaded. "It's not good for her to be under all this stress right now."

"Sorry Luke, but nobody is leaving," Jimmy said as he regained his composure slightly. "I'm not risking it."

"Why isn't it good for her to be under stress huh Luke?" Peyton asked as she grinned. "Did that morning after pill not work?"

"That is none of your business." Lucas said as he comforted Brooke.

"That's where you're wrong," Peyton replied in a smug tone. "Do you not remember that day when you and Brooke came into the pharmacy to get that particular pill? I certainly do. And do you want to know why? When I was opening the packaging I switched the pill for an aspirin."

"You did _what_?" Lucas asked in a dangerously low tone.

"You heard," Peyton said as she chuckled. "So you're about ten weeks pregnant huh Brooke? Do you even know which Scott brother is the father? After all you had Nathan an hour or so before Lucas. Surely his little swimmers would have gotten to their target first."

"What is she talking about?" Haley asked as she did the math in her head. She realized that the time Peyton was on about was around the time she and Nathan began their relationship.

"Don't listen to her," Nathan replied as he sent a glare to Peyton. She just grinned in response. "She's just causing trouble."

"Am I?" Peyton challenged. "I haven't heard any denials from either of them. So come on Brooke, why don't you tell the truth for once? Why don't you actually admit that you're trying to steal _another_ girl's boyfriend?"

"I am _not_ trying to steal anyone's boyfriend," Brooke told her as she moved away from Lucas. "You want me to be honest then I will. Yes I'm pregnant. But the baby isn't Nathan's."

"And you know that for a fact do you?" Peyton asked. The smug smile still graced her lips.

"Yes I do. Lucas is the father of my baby," Brooke told her as she gave the blonde an icy glare. "We had a test done that proves it."

"Oh my God!" Haley murmured in shock. She wasn't quite able to believe that her best friend was going to be a teenage parent. Mouth and Millie shared a shocked look as did Lindsey and Julian. Nathan felt relieved that he wasn't responsible for getting her knocked up. Jimmy watched the exchange, wondering why Peyton seemed to be running the show.

"You know, there's something that I don't quite understand," Peyton continued. "Brooke here says that she was with Dan against her will. Yet it doesn't seem to have affected her in any way at all. Well except for maybe turning you into a bigger slut. You jump into bed with Nathan easily enough and Lucas. Oh and Jake behind my back."

"You and Jake weren't even together," Brooke reminded her. "You were in rehab for being a crack whore. Or did you forget about that? And for your information, Jake was the first guy I was with after what happened on Halloween. And that happened after Jenny was born."

"What about when you came out of the alley with the entire basketball team?" Peyton asked. "Did the gang bang happen before or after Dan and Jimmy had taken a turn?"

"I've had just about enough of hearing your bitchy comments," Haley said as she moved off her seat and went and slapped Peyton. "Hopefully one day you'll go through something like Brooke did so you can experience first hand what it's like."

"God what is the big obsession with everybody pussy footing around Brooke?" Peyton asked with a frown. "I even exposed what she did in the time capsule and you still all worship the ground that she walks on."

"_You_ released the time capsule?" Jimmy asked Peyton as his jaw set in a firm, angry line. All eyes narrowed in anger as they centered on Peyton.

"Yes I did," Peyton confirmed with a shrug. "And it was the best thing I ever did. Besides switching Brooke's morning after pill of course."

"You are a spiteful, vindictive human being and I hope that you get your comeuppance for making Brooke's life hell when she didn't do anything wrong to you." Lucas said as he glared at Peyton with hatred in his eyes.

"All this is _your_ fault," Jimmy told Peyton as he too glared at her. Peyton swallowed audibly as Jimmy aimed the gun at her. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just shoot you now."

"Because you're too chicken." Peyton replied unable to stop herself.

"You think I'm chicken huh?" Jimmy demanded as he glared at her. "Well you're wrong."

"You think that just because you have a gun in your hand you're not a coward?" Mouth asked his one time friend. "In my eyes that makes you the biggest coward on the planet."

"If I'm so cowardly then how I come I went into a burning building to rescue someone huh?" Jimmy challenged before he realized what he had let slip.

"You saved Dan didn't you?" Brooke asked as she began to feel nauseas.

"Yes I did," Jimmy admitted. He then decided to share the whole story. "Deb asked me to burn the dealership down with Dan inside it. She gave me money to do it so I lit the fire. I stood outside watching for a while then I changed my mind. I went back in and got him out so that he could be punished for what he did."

"You should have just let him burn," Brooke said in a bitter tone. "That would have been the perfect punishment."

"I couldn't have that on my conscience as well after what I did to you," Jimmy replied. "It ate away at me everyday."

"You couldn't have that on your conscience yet you seem perfectly fine with holding us at gunpoint." Lindsey remarked. Jimmy didn't reply.

"Brooke are you okay?" Julian asked as he noticed that she was rubbing her belly. Lucas immediately went to her side.

"Are you in pain?" he asked in a concerned tone. Brooke nodded as she grimaced.

"Jimmy let her go," Millie pleaded. "There could be something wrong with the baby."

"Fat chance," Jimmy replied coldly. He looked at Brooke accusingly as he added. "You're faking it so I'll let you go. Well tough you're staying here."

"I swear I'm not faking," Brooke told him in a pained tone as she sat back down. "I wouldn't be so stupid."

"Sure you wouldn't." Peyton remarked.

"I wouldn't," Brooke snapped back. "Not everybody acts like you."

"Jimmy please let her go." Lucas begged. He could tell that Brooke wasn't faking.

"I already told you no," Jimmy replied. "I'm not changing my mind."

"Well let me tell you something," Lucas said as he walked up to Jimmy and got right in his face and spoke in a low, dangerous tone. "If anything happens to Brooke or our baby, then you're going to pay. Even if you've left Tree Hill be then I will hunt you down and punish you."

"You are in no position to be threatening me," Jimmy replied in the same low tone. The gun clicked as he added. "Don't forget; I can end your life anytime I see fit. So get back over there to your slut of a girlfriend and be a good little boy."

"Lucas!" Haley said in an urgent tone. He looked over to where her voice had come from and saw that she was now beside Brooke. His face paled as he saw the patch of blood beginning to show on her jeans.

"Oh my God!" Lucas said as he rushed back over to Brooke's side.

"This hurts so much Luke." Brooke told him as fresh tears fell down her face.

"Still think she's faking do you?" Julian asked in a disgusted tone.

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" Lucas yelled before he again launched himself at Jimmy.

The two of them collided and fell to the floor. The other's watched in shock as the two of them wrestled around on the floor. Owen took the opportunity to come out of his hiding place and help. That's when the gun began to go off.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Rachel ran like she had never done before. She actually surprised herself with how fast she was running. She didn't think that she was capable of moving at her current speed. Her head seemed to pound in time with her sneaker clad feet hit the sidewalk and she found herself wishing that she hadn't partied so hard the previous night. She hoped that Owen was okay and hadn't done anything stupid. She also hoped that the gun that Jimmy had was a fake or wasn't loaded. She then found herself hoping that the cops believed her.

She continued to run until her legs burned from the effort she was using. So far she hadn't passed a single soul. In a way she was glad. She hated the thought of having to dodge people as she ran. She also hated the thought of people watching her run. She turned a corner and her heart skipped a beat as she saw which street she had turned onto. She prayed that the café wasn't busy as she headed towards it. Her tired legs began to slow as she did and she made a mental note to buy herself a treadmill so she could run in private and build her stamina up.

It seemed a lifetime until she reached the café doorway. She pulled the door open and rushed inside. Deb and Karen turned to look at the doorway to see who was in such a rush. Rachel was relieved to see that it was just them in the café as she glanced around. The tables made it clear that the customers had been and gone.

"Rachel? What's wrong?" Karen asked as she got up from her seat. Rachel bent over and rested her hands on her thighs as she struggled to get her breath back.

"Jimmy came to the club," Rachel gasped out, still in the same position. "He has a gun. He wants the takings."

"Oh my God!" Deb said in a shocked tone. She felt the guilt kick in immediately.

"Why does he want the takings?" Karen asked as she led Rachel over to the counter and sat her down.

"He says he needs to get out of Tree Hill because he can't stand the bullying," Rachel blurted. "He raped Brooke in an alley too. Right after Dan did."

"Oh my God!" Karen and Deb said in unison as they shared a look.

"He won't let anybody leave." Rachel continued.

"How did you get out?" Karen asked in a soft tone.

"Me and Owen were in one of the dressing rooms. We went there to sleep off last night a little more," Rachel explained. "I woke up and went to get some water. When I opened the door I saw Jimmy stood be the main entrance with a gun. Oh and Peyton is out of jail too. She's at the club."

"Rachel are you being serious?" Deb asked in a doubtful tone.

"Deb I wouldn't make anything like this up," Rachel told her. "We need to get the cops there before anything bad happens."

"I'll call them." Deb said as she saw the honesty in Rachel's eyes.

"I'll close this place and give Keith a call." Karen replied before she set about doing so.

"I'll help you." Rachel said as she stood and joined her. All three hoped that nothing bad had happened at the club.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Jimmy stood in a stunned silence as he surveyed the scene around him. He could smell a faint acrid smoky smell from the gun as he did. He began to panic as he realized what he had done. As much as he had threatened, he never intended to use the gun. He had just wanted it with him to persuade Lucas to give him the takings. Now he had fired most of his bullets and the club was a scene of carnage. Lucas rose from the floor and he too looked around in shock.

Five people had been hit with bullets while Lucas and Jimmy had been brawling on the floor. Three were injured and the other two lay on the floor motionless. All five were sprawled in patches of blood that grew bigger by the second. Lucas's eyes went back to Brooke and he saw that she was still clutching her belly. Only now blood seeped through her closed fingers. He began to move towards her to try and offer her some form of comfort. As he moved he felt his breath becoming increasingly short. It was quickly followed by an abhorrent tightness in his chest. He managed to gasp as he clutched at his chest before everything went black and he fell to the floor.


	25. Chapter 24

**Hey lovely readers!**

**I'm so sorry that it's taken me forever to update this story. Life kind of got crazy. Hope you enjoy the update.**

**Leeese**

* * *

><p><em>Jimmy stood in a stunned silence as he surveyed the scene around him. He could smell a faint acrid smoky smell from the gun as he did. He began to panic as he realized what he had done. As much as he had threatened, he never intended to use the gun. He had just wanted it with him to persuade Lucas to give him the takings. Now he had fired most of his bullets and the club was a scene of carnage. Lucas rose from the floor and he too looked around in shock.<em>

_Five people had been hit with bullets while Lucas and Jimmy had been brawling on the floor. Three were injured and the other two lay on the floor motionless. All five were sprawled in patches of blood that grew bigger by the second. Lucas's eyes went back to Brooke and he saw that she was still clutching her belly. Only now blood seeped through her closed fingers. He began to move towards her to try and offer her some form of comfort. As he moved he felt his breath becoming increasingly short. It was quickly followed by an abhorrent tightness in his chest. He managed to gasp as he clutched at his chest before everything went black and he fell to the floor. _

"What have you done?" Haley asked in a shocked voice as she looked around at the carnage. She then sank to her knees beside Nathan who was holding his leg.

"The son of a bitch shot my leg," Nathan said in a pained, worried tone. "How am I gonna play basketball now?"

"Its okay honey," Haley told him in a soothing tone. "The doctors will be able to make you like new in no time."

"Someone needs to help Luke!" Nathan said in an urgent tone as he remembered his heart condition. "He has a heart problem. Someone needs to make sure that he's still breathing."

"I'll do it," Julian said as he let go of Lindsey's lifeless form. He wiped at his tears as he went over to Lucas. He then placed his fingers on his neck. "His pulse feels pretty weak. What do I do?"

"Hales, what do we do?" Nathan asked her.

"I don't know," Haley said as she began to cry. "Try CPR."

"How do I do that?" Julian asked as he began to panic.

"Push hard and fast in the middle of the chest." Haley told him.

"We need to call 911." Mouth said as he began to head over to the phone. Millie headed over to Brooke as she saw the patch of blood on her sweater getting bigger.

"Brooke did you get shot?" Millie asked as she knelt beside her.

"Uh huh," Brooke managed as she clutched her belly. "Please tell me Lucas is going to be okay."

"I'm doing the best that I can Brooke." Julian told her as he tried his best at CPR. As he finished speaking, the sound of sirens could be heard. They got increasing loud until they came to a stop.

"How the hell did they get here before you even called them?" Jimmy demanded as he looked at Mouth.

"Rachel got out and told them," Owen said in a smug tone as he clutched his left shoulder. "So you might as well give up now Jimmy. You've got two dead bodies on your hands and 3 of us are injured thanks to you. And now Lucas has had a heart attack or something."

"Should you do CPR if someone has had a heart attack?" Millie asked as she added pressure to Brooke's abdomen wound to try and reduce the bleeding.

"I'm sure you do," Haley said as she began to doubt her limited medical knowledge as she tried to stem the blood flow on Nathan's leg. She saw his worried expression as he looked over at Lucas's still form. "We'll get him out alive."

"God I hope so," Nathan replied in a quiet tone. "Brooke's already losing her baby, the last thing she needs is to lose Lucas too."

"Two dead bodies?" Brooke suddenly asked as her brain registered Owen's words. "Who are they?"

"Lindsey." Julian said in a pained tone as he continued to work on Lucas.

"Oh my God!" Brooke said in a gasp.

"The other is Peyton," Mouth said as he came over to help Millie with Brooke. "I don't think anybody will miss her."

"I don't care how much of a bitch I sound but at least something good came out of all this." Brooke said in an angry tone. She was about to speak again, but another gunshot cut her off. All eyes moved over to where Jimmy had been stood. They saw that he was now on the floor led in a pool of rapidly expanding blood. His lifeless gaze was in their direction and they all shuddered at the sight.

"Now can we get the hell out of here?" Owen asked as he managed to get to his feet.

"Good idea," Julian said as he stood, "How the hell are we going to do this?"

"I'll help you with Luke," Owen told him. "As long as you don't mind taking most of his weight."

"Not at all." Julian replied as he lifted Lucas. He and Owen then carried him between them as they headed towards the door.

"Hales I should be fine just leaning on you," Nathan told her. "I can hop on my good leg."

"I'm sure me and Mouth can help you out of here between us Brooke," Millie assured her. "It might hurt though."

"I'm already in agony," Brooke told them. "So I don't think anymore pain would really matter."

Nathan, Haley, Brooke, Mouth and Millie followed the same path that Julian, Owen and Lucas had taken. When they finally made it out of the club, they saw Lucas being loaded into an ambulance. Owen was being assessed by a paramedic and Julian was stood with several police officers. As they stepped outside, all eyes turned to them. Two more paramedics came rushing over to see to Nathan and Brooke. Haley, Mouth and Millie were then escorted over to where Julian was stood.

"Why are they bringing us over here?" Haley asked Julian.

"We have to give statements," Julian told her with a sigh. "Until then we're suspects."

"You're kidding?" Mouth asked in a surprised tone. Julian shook his head.

"Unbelievable," Millie muttered. "Do they not think that we've been through enough already?"

"How are you feeling?" Haley asked Julian softly.

"Right now I just feel numb," Julian replied as he ran a hand through his hair. "I can't believe Lindsey is dead."

"Are you sure she is?" Mouth asked him as he took hold of Millie's hand. He dreaded to think what it would have been like for him if the bullet had headed in Millie's direction.

"She didn't have a pulse Mouth," Julian replied as tears filled his eyes. "I checked so many times. Then I saw the bullet wound on her chest."

"I'm so sorry." Haley told him as she rubbed his arm comfortingly.

"Do you think they got to Lucas in time?" Julian asked as they watched the paramedics work on Lucas. He was now on a stretcher.

"God I hope so," Haley replied. "He's been my best friend for so long I don't know what I would do. And Brooke needs him now more than ever."

"It doesn't look good for the baby does it?" Millie asked softly.

"No it doesn't," Haley agreed. "And who knows what damage that bullet did to her internally. If she hadn't started miscarrying before the gun went off she would definitely have lost the baby afterwards."

"I can't believe that Jimmy has done all these horrible things," Mouth said not quite able to believe what his brain had been bombarded with. "It's just not like him."

"And he can't even blame everything on what happened with the time capsule," Millie added. "What he did to Brooke happened before that."

"Okay stop chatting," a man said as he approached them. He then showed them an ID wallet as he spoke again. "I'm Detective Hargrove. I'm going to be speaking to each of you individually to find out what happened in there. Ms. Roe and Mr. Scott have offered to sit in on these interviews if you want them to. Otherwise we'll have to wait until your parents get here."

"I'm fine to talk with Karen and Keith there," Haley said. "They're like family anyway."

"Me too." Mouth added.

"And me." Millie said.

"Same here." Julian replied.

"Okay then," Andy replied as he put his ID away. "Who wants to go first?"

"Can I go first?" Haley asked. "That way I can go to the hospital with Nathan."

"Sure." Mouth, Millie and Julian replied as Andy signaled to Keith and Karen.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"I don't know if I should be relieved about Lucas being a coma." Karen said to Keith.

They were sat in the hospital corridor waiting on news of Brooke and Nathan. Both were still in surgery. Deb was at the club helping the police with their enquiries. Owen had been lucky and the bullet had cleanly gone through his shoulder and had caused very little damage. Brooke and Nathan hadn't been so lucky. The bullets that had hit them were still in them.

"I think it's a good thing that he's in the coma," Keith replied in a soft tone. "It'll give his body a better chance to recover."

"I hope you're right," Karen replied with a sigh. "And I just wish someone would tell us something about Brooke and Nathan."

"I just can't believe that Jimmy would do something like this," Keith said as he too sighed. "I've known him since he was a kid. I can't believe he turned out the way he did."

"Are you with Brooke Davis?" a doctor asked surprising the two of them. They hadn't seen him approach them.

"Yes we are," Karen said as she turned her attention to him. "How is she?"

"We've just finished operating on her and she's now in the recovery room" the doctor began. "It was too late for us to do anything to save the baby."

"Baby?!" Keith asked in a shocked tone cutting the doctor off.

"She was pregnant?!" Karen asked sounding just as shocked.

"She was," the doctor confirmed. "Her medical records showed that she was around 10 weeks pregnant. She was bleeding very heavily from the gunshot wound. The bullet caused some serious damage to her uterus and it was impossible for us to stop the bleeding. In the end our only option was to perform a hysterectomy."

"Oh my God," Karen gasped as her eyes widened in shock. "Does she know?"

"Not yet. She still hasn't come round," the doctor replied. "Once she has we'll move her to a private room and break the news to her then."

"Poor Brooke," Karen murmured. "She'll never be able to have children."

"She still has her ovaries so there is the option of using a surrogate." the doctor told them as he gave them a reassuring smile.

"Is there any news on Nathan Scott?" Keith asked after a few moments of silence. "He's my nephew."

"I haven't been treating that patient," the doctor told them apologetically. "The doctor who has will be able to tell you when they're done with him."

"Would it be possible to move Brooke to the room my son is in?" Karen asked the doctor. "The room he's in is set for three patients. Brooke is his girlfriend. He would have been the father to her baby."

"I can see if I can get that arranged," the doctor said. "What's your son's name?"

"Lucas Scott," Karen replied. "He's in a coma after having a heart attack. He has HCM."

"I see," the doctor replied. "I can't promise anything, but I'll try my best given the circumstances."

"I appreciate that." Karen replied in a grateful tone as another doctor came up to them.

"Are you relatives of Nathan Scott?" she asked. Keith confirmed that they were as the first doctor walked away. "His surgery went great. There should be no lasting damage once he's healed and completed his physiotherapy. He should be able to use it as normal afterwards."

"That's a relief." Keith said as he let out a long breath.

"He'll be in a cast for a while and will need crutches," the doctor continued. "We'll keep him in for observation, and if everything is okay he can home tomorrow."

"His mother will be pleased to hear that when she gets here." Keith said.

"Can we see him?" Karen asked.

"He's still in recovery right now," the doctor replied. "But once he's settled in his room there shouldn't be a problem."

"Thanks doc." Keith said as the doctor's beeper went off.

"I'm sorry I have an emergency," she said as she checked it. "A nurse will come and get you once Nathan is settled."

"Okay." Karen said as the doctor turned and walked away.

"Come on, let's go and sit with Lucas," Keith said as he took hold of Karen's hand and squeezed it comfortingly. The two of them then began to head in the direction of Lucas's room. "We should let them get better before we have words with them about the pregnancy."

"I agree," Karen replied. "Although part of me feels like they've been punished enough with what's happened today."

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Wow it's a full house." Nathan said as Brooke was wheeled into the room that he and Lucas were in. Haley and Deb were beside his bed and Karen and Keith were beside Lucas's bed.

"How come Brooke is being wheeled in here?" Haley asked in a confused tone.

"The doctor said he would try and locate her here so that you were all together." Karen told her as the porters left. They all looked over at Brooke and saw that her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Deb got up from her seat and went over to her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked in a soft tone as she sat in the chair beside her bed.

"Like crap," Brooke replied in a croaky tone. "Did the doctor tell you about the baby?"

"He told us," Karen told her gently as she sat in the other chair beside her bed. "He also told us what they had to do to stop the bleeding."

"What did they have to do?" Nathan asked curiously.

"They had to take away my uterus." Brooke replied as she burst into a fresh round of tears.

"Oh my God!" Haley said in a horrified tone. Nathan swallowed guiltily wishing he hadn't asked. Deb sat in a shocked silence.

"It's my punishment." Brooke said as she continued to cry.

"Don't be ridiculous," Karen told her. "You have nothing to be punished for."

"Yes I do," Brooke insisted as she struggled into a sitting position. Karen and Deb stood and helped her. They sat as she began to speak again. "I got pregnant from what happened in the alley. Now I know I was pregnant with Jimmy Edwards's baby. And I had an abortion. This is karma paying me back for what I did."

"Oh Brooke. You're not being punished," Karen said as she reached out and took hold of her hand. "Please tell me you didn't go through all that alone."

"I knew about the abortion," Deb said. "I pretended to be her mother so she could get it done."

"Mom?!" Nathan asked as he frowned. "You knew about what happened _before_ the auto shop?"

"Yes I did," Deb told him. "I didn't know that it was Dan that was responsible though."

"How's Lucas?" Brooke asked as her gaze fell on his still form. They then moved to the various machines he was hooked up to.

"He's in a coma," Karen told her softly. "The doctor says it's just a waiting game now."

"I'm surprised everybody isn't here checking up on us." Nathan said after a few moments of silence.

"We told them to go home," Keith told him. "You all need to rest after what you've been through."

"Is Lindsey really dead?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah she is," Haley replied in a sad tone. "Julian is devastated. His parents had to get him a doctor who ended up sedating him he was that hysterical."

"Poor Julian." Brooke mumbled.

"Peyton and Jimmy are definitely dead as well," Nathan added. "I can't say I'll miss either of those two."

"Me neither," Haley admitted. "Even though Jimmy used to be a good friend of mine, everything he's done has spoiled that. And I'm sure Lucas will feel the same way when he wakes up."

"I can't believe it was Peyton who released the time capsule and caused what happened today," Brooke said as she frowned. "If it wasn't for her I'd still be able to be a mom one day."

"Brooke sweetie you still can," Karen told her softly. "You still have your ovaries. They can use your eggs and you can have a surrogate carry the baby. That way you will be able to have children that are biologically yours."

"It won't be the same though," Brooke said as she began to cry again. "I hope Peyton burns in hell for what she's done. The same goes for Jimmy."

"I agree with that," Nathan replied. "It's the best place for both of them."

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Happy Birthday honey," Deb said to Nathan as he walked into the kitchen of their house the next day. He had just been discharged from the hospital. "You're popular today. Look at the mountain of things you have to open."

"After what happened yesterday I'm not really in the mood to celebrate." Nathan replied as he looked over to where Deb had pointed. He was shocked at the pile of things that awaited him.

"I know Nathan, but you only turn 18 once," Deb told him gently. "At least open your cards and presents. Then you can thank the people that sent them to you."

"I guess I could do that." Nathan said as he made his way over to the stool.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Deb asked.

"You're going to cook?" Nathan asked in reply. There was a hint of surprise in his voice.

"That depends on what you want to eat," Deb replied with a slight smile. "So what do you want?"

"Rocky road ice cream," Nathan replied. "And a gallon of coffee."

"Ice cream and coffee?" Deb asked as she raised her eyebrows. "That's an unusual combination."

"I know. But it's my birthday so I can have it." Nathan replied with a small grin.

"That's true," Deb replied. She gave him a wide smile as she added. "And I don't have to cook."

"I'm sure the firemen will be thanking me for that." Nathan remarked as he began opening his cards.

"It's a good thing that statement is more than likely the truth otherwise you'd be grounded; birthday or not," Deb replied with a smile. "Should I even bother with a bowl?"

"No just give me the carton and a spoon and I'll be happy." Nathan told her.

She smiled as she placed the ice cream and spoon down on the counter and then set about brewing a fresh pot of coffee. Nathan alternated between opening cards and eating a spoon of ice cream. He started opening another envelope and frowned as he saw that there was a letter inside instead of a card. He pulled it out, unfolded it and began to read. As he did his eyes widened at what he read.

"Holy shit!" he remarked as his eyes stayed glued to the letter.

"Why are you using that kind of language young man?" Deb asked as she looked over at him.

"You'll never believe what I'm reading right now," he said as he looked up at his mother briefly. His eyes dropped back to the letter as he continued speaking. "Dan has written me a letter saying that he's going to hand himself into the police for what he did to Brooke."

"_What_?!" Deb asked in a shocked tone as she headed back over to Nathan.

"He said he's handing himself in and that he'll admit to everything that happened so that Brooke doesn't have to go through a trial. He says that he's sorry for what he did and he's doing this so that she doesn't have to see him again," Nathan replied. He then continued to read. "He also says that he's sorry for being a bad father to me _and_ Lucas. He's written that he's received the insurance money for the dealership and he's splitting it equally between me, Lucas and Brooke as a way of apologizing."

"Let me see that," Deb said as she held her hand out for the letter. Nathan gave it to her and she read it as he looked in the envelope. "I never thought I'd live to see the day that Dan Scott developed a conscience."

"Me neither," Nathan agreed as he pulled three checks out of the envelope. "It's a pity he didn't get one sooner. Like before he did what he did to Brooke. That way none of what happened yesterday would have happened."

"He must have put that in the mail box either late last night or this morning," Deb told him as she handed the letter back. "I'm wondering if yesterday's events finally made him see sense."

"Do you think he knows about Brooke not being able to have kids?" Nathan asked as he carefully folded the letter back up. He then replaced it in the envelope.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he did. He has ways of finding things out," Deb replied. "How much did he leave to you, Lucas and Brooke?"

"I'm just going to check now," Nathan said as he turned the checks over. His was on top and he had to do a double take at what he read. "Oh my God!"

"What?!" Deb asked anxiously.

"The check he wrote me is for $90,000." Nathan said in a shocked tone. He quickly looked at the other two checks and saw that they were for the same amount.

"_$90,000?!"_ Deb asked. It was now her turn to be shocked.

"Yeah," Nathan said as he continued to stare at the check in his hand. "I don't think I've ever seen as many zeros. I guess this will come in handy for college. That way I can go to whatever school Haley goes to."

"Nathan honey, you already have a college fund," Deb told him. "I started it when I found out that I was pregnant with you. I was going to give it to you today."

"Wow I'm gonna be a _very_ rich dude at the end of today." Nathan replied as he managed a smile. Deb smiled back before she frowned and asked.

"I thought you were going to Duke?" Deb asked.

"That was the plan initially, but I did a lot of thinking in the hospital." Nathan replied. "I realized that it wasn't my dream to go to Duke; it was Dan's. I realized that my whole life I've been doing what he wanted me to. And I don't know what I want to do with my life mom."

"You have the rest of your life to figure that out," Deb told him in a soft tone. "I'm not going to push you into doing something you don't want to. I mean you've had more than your fair share of that with Dan. That's why I wanted him out of your life for good."

"I can't believe Jimmy pulled him out of the fire," Nathan said as he shook his head. "When he was saying that I'd be surprised at his connection to you, I thought that he might have done something to you like he did to Brooke. I was relieved when he told me about you paying him to burn the dealership down."

"I was so worried about you finding out the truth and hating me," Deb admitted. "But it seemed like the only way to get rid of him for good."

"You didn't need to worry mom," Nathan assured her. "How could I hate you for getting that monster out of our lives?"

"I should have done it years ago," Deb remarked. The two sat in silence for a few moments before she spoke again. "Finish opening your things. We'll have coffee and then head back to the hospital to fill Brooke in on what Dan has done."

"Good idea," Nathan replied. "And you never know; my birthday might turn out even better and Lucas might wake up when we get there."

"You never know he might." Deb replied as she went back over to the coffee maker. Nathan then went back to opening his birthday cards and eating his ice cream.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Brooke led in her hospital bed and stared at the check in her hand. Nathan and Deb had left almost an hour previously and she had been staring at it ever since. She couldn't believe that Dan was going to hand himself in for what he had done. She didn't know if she should be relieved or not. However, she was relieved that the evidence that had been gathered from her at the hospital had been kept. She just hoped that the case wouldn't end up being thrown out of court due to the DNA results not matching. She wondered how long it would be before the police came to take a statement about what had happened.

She turned slowly onto her side and placed the check on the table beside the bed. She winced as the wounds on her lower abdomen protested at the movement. She looked over at Lucas who still hadn't woken. She willed him to get better and to wake up. She knew that she couldn't get through the frenzy that would more than likely surround the news of what Dan had done. She wondered how he would react to the news that she had been given. She hoped that it wouldn't give him another heart attack. She continued to gaze at him and prayed that he would come around soon. As she did, the sound of Lucas making a choking noise filled the room and the machine monitoring his heart rate began to beep faster. Brooke quickly pressed her alarm to get the nurse to come in and continued to press it until the door opened and several medical staff came into the room.

"What's going on?" Brooke asked as they surrounded Lucas's bed. She got no response and could only watch as they worked on Lucas. After several minutes a nurse came to her bedside.

"Lucas is awake," she told her in a soft tone. She gave her a smile as she added. "You'll be chatting away in no time."

"Really?" Brooke asked as happy tears began to fall down her face. The nurse nodded.

"I'll go and get the two of you some more water," she said. "His throat will be sore for a few days from the breathing tube. But he should be fine."

"You don't know how happy I am to hear that." Brooke replied as the nurse left the room.

She returned moments later with two jugs of water. She placed them on their tables and then left once again. This time the other members of the medical team followed her. Brooke looked over at Lucas once more and saw that he was now sat up in bed drinking some of his water.

"Hi." Brooke said as she gave him a smile.

"Hey," He replied in a raspy tone. "How long was I out?"

"About 24 hours," Brooke replied. "It's now Sunday."

"What happened after I passed out?" Lucas asked.

Brooke then took a deep breath before she began telling him everything that happened. She included the devastating news she had been given and the surprise of Dan turning himself in and leaving them money. When she was done, Lucas was at a loss for words. He ended up climbing out of his bed and made his way slowly over to Brooke's. She moved over so that there was room for him. He then climbed under the covers beside her and wrapped his arms around her. The two of them then held onto each other as they cried and mourned the loss of their baby.


	26. Chapter 25

**Hey lovely readers,**

**Apologies for the huge gap between updates for this story. The title of this story has changed to one that I think fits the story better. Also, I would like to apologize for the not so cheery chapter. **

**Leeese**

* * *

><p>Brooke and Lucas were discharged after spending five days in the hospital. The journey from the hospital to Karen and Keith's house was done in silence and seemed to take forever for the occupants of the car. Brooke stared out of the window for the entire trip, yet nothing that she saw registered in her brain. Her mind was still too raw with grief over the loss of her baby and the devastating news the surgeon had given her.<p>

Keith pulled into the driveway and switched the engine off. Brooke slowly climbed out of the car and began to head towards the house. With each step, the healing wound on her belly sent a fresh stab of pain through her body. Each wave of pain made her feel even more devastated as all she could think about was the baby that had been taken away from her.

They headed through the front door and Brooke made her way straight to Lucas's bedroom. It took her a lot longer than it usually did. She finally made it to the doorway and headed inside. She picked up a pillow once she had reached the side of the bed and gently placed it against her front before she lowered herself down onto the bed. The nurses at the hospital had shown her that trick and she found that it helped stopped the sensation like her insides were trying to fall out of her abdomen when she moved.

Her head touched a pillow and she closed her eyes. As she did, she heard footsteps come into the room. She could tell that it was Lucas. She kept her eyes closed as she felt him lie on his side of the bed. After he had gotten himself comfortable, Brooke felt his arm wrap around her from behind. She felt herself tense as he did.

"Luke can you move your arm please?" she asked in a barely audible voice. "It's not comfortable having your arm there."

"Sorry," Lucas whispered as he removed his arm. He gave her a concerned look as she inched away from him slightly. "Do you want me to get you anything?"

"I just want to be alone for a while," she told in the same barely audible voice. "I don't feel like I've had two seconds to myself since, well you know."

"I understand," Lucas said as he moved off the bed. "Do you want any food or anything?"

"No I'm not hungry," Brooke replied. Lucas moved to her side of the bed and saw that she still had her eyes closed. "Just some water and my pain meds will be fine."

"I'll go and get them." Lucas said as he gave her a concerned look. He then headed out of his room.

"How is she?" Karen asked as he headed into the kitchen.

"She just wants to be alone for a while," Lucas replied. "And she wants some water and her pain meds."

"I'll sort her medication," Karen said as she headed to the cupboard she had put them in. "You take a seat. You're supposed to be taking it easy too remember?"

"I can get her that mom." Lucas insisted.

"No you can't," Karen told him firmly. "Take a seat and I'll sort the medication."

"Okay," Lucas replied in a reluctant tone as he sat at the dining table. He watched as she opened the cupboard and pulled out two large plastic containers. He frowned as he asked. "What are those?"

"These are containers that sort medication into allocated days and times," Karen explained. "The nurse at the hospital suggested them with both you and Brooke having to take different tablets at different times. There's one for each of you. It'll be easier for me to keep track that you're both taking it right."

"How do we know which one is which?" Lucas asked.

"I've put your names on each one," Karen said in an amused tone. "So check before you take anything."

"Don't worry I will." Lucas assured her.

Karen then set about sorting out the tablets that Brooke was due to take. Another reason she had placed the tablets in the sorting boxes was to keep a closer eye on them. The same nurse had advised her to watch Brooke closely when it came to her medication incase she decided to overdose after what had happened. After the conversation with the nurse, Karen had immediately gone and bought two of the boxes and a pack of small paper cups to put them in when it was time for them to take them. She had even thought about keeping the medication in a locked drawer, but thought that would have been a little too suspicious. She placed Brooke's medication into one of the cups before she filled a glass with water and headed towards Lucas's bedroom. Lucas watched his mother, knowing that she wasn't being entirely honest with him about something.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Are you sure that you're up to this?" Lucas asked Brooke as he helped her put her coat on. It was now five days before Christmas and the day of Lindsey's funeral and Lucas and Brooke had been home from the hospital for three days.

"Lucas, Lindsey was one of my closest friends," Brooke told him sounding annoyed. "Whether I'm up to it or not, I'm going to her funeral. And you're not going to stop me."

"Okay," Lucas replied defensively. "I just want to make sure that you're okay."

"How can I be okay after what happened?" she asked as she gave him a disbelieving look. "How can I be okay after being told that I'll never have a baby of my own?"

"I'm sorry," Lucas said with a sigh. "I don't know what to do to help you."

"Just give me some space," Brooke told him honestly. "I'm sick of everybody fussing over me and asking me how I am every two seconds. I know you're all just trying to be nice but it's _really_ beginning to piss me off."

"If you want space then I'll give you space," Lucas told her as he gave her a small smile. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you Brooke."

"I know and I love you for that," Brooke replied sincerely. "I just have to come to terms with a lot and I need to do it in my own time. I feel like everybody is expecting me to be like how I was before Jimmy went all psycho and held us hostage. But I can't be that girl right now. In fact I can't see me ever being the Brooke I was before."

"_Nobody_ is expecting you to be like that Brooke," Lucas told her in a pained tone. "We just lost our baby. They know we're grieving and don't expect us to be like we were before."

"No Lucas. _We_ didn't lose our baby, _I_ lost our baby," Brooke corrected. "I just carried on like I did before I found out that I was pregnant and didn't think twice about the life that was growing inside me and counted on me to keep it safe."

"You didn't carry on like before," Lucas pointed out. "You didn't drink for one; hell you didn't even drink coffee. And I know how hard that must have been for you seeing as though I know just how much you love your coffee."

"Whoopdie doo," Brooke scoffed. "I didn't think twice about having that invasive test done to find out who the father was."

"You had your reasons for doing that." Lucas pointed out.

"Yes I did and they were selfish ones," Brooke replied. She then took a deep breath before she continued. "Look now isn't the time for this conversation. We need to be going so we can say goodbye to Lindsey and to support Julian and her parents."

"You're right," he agreed. "So are you ready to go?"

"Yes. And can you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Don't be all lovey dovey with me like you usually are when we're together," Brooke told him. "It wouldn't be fair to Julian."

"You have my word." Lucas promised as he followed her out of the door.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Hey how are you holding up?" Haley asked Lucas as she approached his side. Lindsey's funeral had just finished and they were stood in the cemetery.

"Good I guess, considering," Lucas replied. "I'm not sure about Brooke though."

"I can't really blame her considering the news she got." Haley replied softly.

"I just wish she wouldn't push me away," Lucas replied with a sigh. "She's kept me at arms length since we got out of hospital. She gets out of bed when she thinks I'm sleeping and goes driving off in her car for hours. Then when she comes back she heads into the kitchen and sits in the dark. It's like she's shut me out."

"It's going to be hard for her to come to terms with Luke," she told him. "Put yourself in her place. She didn't just get the devastating news of losing a baby; she got told she'd never be able to carry another because they took her uterus away on top of it. It would be like you having your balls cut off."

"Haley!" Lucas replied in a shocked tone.

"I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I'm just trying to give you perspective," She said as she gave him a wry smile. "Brooke needs time and support to get over what happened. And then there is the possibility that even with that she won't get over it."

"What about me?" Lucas asked sadly. "_I_ lost a baby too. I don't mean to sound selfish but I'm grieving here too and everybody is acting like it's only Brooke that's affected by it."

"No we're not Luke."

"Well it certainly feels like it," Lucas said as tears began to escape his eyes. "I lost a child too and it feels like nobody cares that I did."

"I care," Haley said as she gathered him into her arms. "We all care."

"Today I found myself jealous of Julian," Lucas admitted as he held onto Haley and continued to cry. "I'm jealous that he's got to say goodbye to Lindsey the way he has. Me and Brooke don't even have that. There was nothing of our baby to bury. It's like it didn't even exist and I imagined it all."

"Oh Lucas." Haley whispered as she continued to console him. She was at a loss as to what else to say to him at that revelation. She saw Nathan hobbling up to them on his crutches with a curious expression on his face. She gave him a pleading look as Lucas was practically crushing her in his embrace.

"Hey bro," he said in a quiet tone. "Careful you don't crush my Haley James there."

"Sorry," Lucas replied as he loosened his hold on his best friend. Haley gave him a sympathetic smile as she reached into her purse and pulled out a tissue. She then handed it to him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Haley told him softly. "Just remember that you're not alone and we do care about you."

"Haley's right dude," Nathan confirmed. "And it's the same for Brooke."

"I don't think Brooke wants anybody fussing over her at the moment." Lucas mumbled before he blew his nose.

"Well whether she likes it or not, we're going to be there," Nathan replied. "For the _both_ of you."

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Do you think that I'll ever get over her?" Julian asked Brooke as they stood at Lindsey's graveside.

"I think I'm the wrong person to ask," Brooke replied. "I can't see myself _ever_ getting over what happened."

"It was only the other week that we were making plans for when we went to college," Julian said sadly. "We were going to get an apartment together off campus and turn it into a little love nest. We had all these plans about what we were going to do and it's never going to happen. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Maybe you could still do some of the plans to honor Lindsey's memory?" Brooke suggested. "I know it's easier said than done. I mean I had all these plans about being a mom and now that will never happen. I'm going to end up one of these people you see pushing a dog in a stroller or something."

"I don't think that will happen," Julian said as he managed a smile. "You will be a mom Brooke; whether you decide to use your eggs and a surrogate or adopt. And you'll be an amazing mom. Just like you are an amazing friend."

"Julian, _I'm_ supposed to be supporting _you_ today," Brooke said as she wiped a tear from her cheek. "Not the other way around."

"You've been supporting me since you got out of hospital," Julian pointed out. "I mean you've listened to me when I've been drunkenly crying about missing her when you've picked me up from bars and off the street. And made sure that I haven't choked on my own vomit when I've passed out at home. All that on top of what you're going through as well. You're the greatest friend anyone could have Brooke Davis."

"Julian, you were there for me after what happened that Halloween; just like the other guys were," Brooke reminded him. "The least I can do is be there for you when you need help. And honestly, helping you takes my mind off obsessing that I have no baby to bury to get some kind of closure."

"That must be tough," Julian replied. "I don't know what I would do if I didn't have Lindsey's grave to visit. I know it sounds morbid, but having this is like there's still part of her here you know? I have some place that I can come and talk to her at."

"That's what I want to be able to do but I can't," Brooke said as she burst into tears. Julian gathered her into a hug as she did. "I have nothing to put into a grave. It's like my baby never existed. I didn't think it was even possible to be so devastated over losing somebody that I didn't even get a chance to meet. And I didn't even get to feel my baby kick. All I have is a grainy image of a kidney bean."

"Why don't you and Lucas have some kind of memorial service?" Julian suggested. "Like plant a tree or something as a reminder. Then you can watch the tree grow."

"Where would we plant it though?" Brooke asked as she sighed.

"What about right here?" Julian suggested as he pulled away from Brooke and went to stand next to where Lindsey's headstone would be placed. "Remember Whitey planted a tree next to his wife's grave."

"I forgot about that," Brooke admitted as she thought over Julian's suggestion. "I think that's a great idea Julian. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Julian replied as he managed another smile. "It'll be like Lindsey and your baby are hanging out together."

"What would?" Lucas asked as he, Nathan and Haley came over to them.

"If me and you planted a tree here as a kind of memorial for our baby." Brooke told him.

"I was going to suggest something like that," Haley told them. "I think that it will be good for the both of you to have some place like this to come to remember your baby."

"I have to agree with my girlfriend there." Nathan said as he smiled at her.

"I think that's a great idea," Lucas said as he gave Julian a grateful look. He then looked at Brooke as he added. "We could get an engraved plaque or something to explain why the tree is there. Maybe even put a name on it."

"Lucas, how can we put a name on something to remember the baby by when we didn't even know if it was a boy or a girl?" Brooke asked sadly.

"We pick a name that would have done for either," Lucas stated. "Then everybody who comes to this cemetery will know that our baby existed. So how about after the wake, we go and look at trees?"

"You should do it." Julian urged.

"We should get a cherry blossom tree," Brooke said. "They're pretty when they're grown and in bloom. And I always remember me and Lindsey used to love it when the wind would blow the petals around when we were kids. It'd be like being at a wedding with confetti."

"Cherry blossoms are nice," Lucas agreed. He then frowned as he looked at Julian and asked. "But surely Lindsey's parents wouldn't like having a tree so close to her grave."

"My dad owns the land all the way over to here," Julian said as he walked a short distance away. "My dad said that they could have part of it for Lindsey's grave because they liked the location. I said that we might plant some trees. So you and Lucas are free to plant such an important tree."

"I thought the land belonged to whoever owns the cemetery." Haley asked with a frown.

"Up until that pathway there they do," Julian told her. "This side of the path is private property owned by my father. It's been in the family for generations and got passed down. If you look at the graves on this patch you'll see a majority of them are Baker's. The others are Norris's."

"How come we never knew that?" Nathan asked with a frown.

"I knew that," Brooke replied. "Maybe you weren't paying attention when it was mentioned."

"Probably not," Nathan agreed as the cars arrived to take them to the wake. It was being held at Lindsey's home. "We should get going. Lindsey wouldn't want us to be late for her party."

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Ashley," Brooke said to Lucas as they were on their way back from Lindsey's wake. They had decided to wait until they had the plaque finished before they bought a tree to plant. "Ashley works for both a boy and a girl."

"Ashley," Lucas repeated as he drove. He smiled as he added. "That works for me. It's far better than the other names we've come up with."

"Ashley Davis-Scott," Brooke said in a sad tone. "I wish we would have gotten to meet you."

"Me too," Lucas said in the same tone. "I bet if Ashley had been a girl, she would have had her mother's beautiful hazel eyes and cute dimples."

"And if Ashley was a boy then he would have his daddy's blue eyes and the brooding facial expression." Brooke replied as she managed a smile. Lucas smiled in response as he saw it.

"I wonder how long it's going to take us to find the perfect words for the plaque," Lucas said in a thoughtful tone. "I don't think I even know where to start with that."

"I kind of have something written," Brooke mumbled. "I wrote it the other night after I came back from dropping Julian back at his house."

"What?" Lucas asked with a frown. "Where did you meet Julian?"

"I go driving at night because I can't sleep," Brooke confessed. "I like driving in the dark. It manages to take my mind off everything. One night Julian was stumbling along the sidewalk so I gave him a ride home. Then the next night he called me and asked me to pick him up from the bar. It's kind of become a regular thing. The other night he was drunkenly rambling and what he said about Lindsey made what I wrote come into my head."

"Can I read it?" Lucas asked. Brooke was surprised that he wasn't mad at her for sneaking around behind his back; even though it was innocent.

"If you promise not to laugh and judge me about it."

"When have I ever done that?" Lucas asked as he pulled the car over. He gave her a pained look as he added. "I would _never_ do that Pretty Girl. Especially not after everything we've been through. So don't ever think that I would start now okay?"

"Okay," Brooke replied as she dug around in her purse and pulled out a folded, crumpled piece of paper. She then held it out to him. "This is what I wrote."

"Were you crying when you wrote this?" Lucas asked as he unfolded it and saw several smudges that looked like they could have been caused by tears.

"Just a little," she admitted. "I'm surprised I have any tears left to cry."

"Brooke I think some of this is perfect for the plaque. We could turn it into a poem," Lucas told her as he read it. He could feel the depth of Brooke's devastation in the words. "What if we start the plaque with this part that you wrote here and tweak it a little so it says; my precious little baby that once inside me grew, I'm so devastated that I never got to meet you?"

"Wow you're good Lucas Scott." Brooke said. She surprised that he could turn the words from the letter she had written to their baby.

"Thanks," he replied softly. "Then this next part could be tweaked to fit around the tree so it says; I will never get to watch you sprout and grow, and bloom into the person that I wanted so much to know."

"That's perfect for when the tree will blossom." Brooke murmured as she tried not to let her tears escape. Her eyes were already sore from all the tears she had already shed.

"We're better keeping it short seeing as though it's a plaque, so we could finish it with something like; so now I'll tend your memory with water and love, and one day I'll see you blossom when we meet in heaven above," Lucas continued. Brooke lost the battle with her tears and they escaped as she let out a sob. He gave her a concerned look. "What's wrong? Is it not right?"

"It's perfect," she told him as she cried. "Can you remember all that?"

"It's etched into my memory already," he assured her. "We'll have that verse and Ashley Davis-Scott engraved on the plaque. Do we put the date that everything went shitty?"

"Yes. It needs a date," Brooke insisted as she wiped at her tears. "With something mentioning how Ashley was taken away from us."

"I'll see how I can word that after we get home," Lucas said as he started the car. "I think if I try to do that now, then I'll be too upset to drive."

**~X~X~X~X~**

Christmas arrived and it was a somber occasion in the Scott household. Brooke and Lucas had both declined to write a Christmas list and instead had requested that their friends and family joined them while they planted the tree and placed the plaque in front of it. All their friends had agreed as they knew how important it was for Brooke and Lucas to have the memorial ceremony.

So on Christmas morning, instead of opening gifts like they had done over previous years, they had all headed to the private cemetery and planted the cherry tree sapling. Once it was planted, Lucas stood in front of the tree and read a poem that he had written especially.

"Now you're an angel, even before you were born, I know you're in heaven, but my heart is torn. We never got the chance to celebrate your life, to what you may have been and never got to hold you tight," Lucas said in a shaky, emotion filled voice. His voice cracked as he continued. "Then that tragic day it came there was nothing I could do, only wait and hope for the precious life of you. Rest gentle now sweet baby there is no pain, you are never alone, I know you are with the guiding angels in your peaceful home."

There wasn't a dry eye within their group of friends and family when he finished. Jake and Julian were comforting a once again distraught Brooke as Lucas headed over to where they were. Jake and Julian moved out of the way and Lucas moved to comfort her in their place. As he wrapped his arms around her, she pushed him away and turned and ran away from their group of friends.

"I'll go after her," Lucas said to the group. "You should just all go back home and try and enjoy the rest of Christmas day."

It took Lucas almost an hour to track down Brooke. He had tried all the usual places she went to; even though most of them were closed and he had seen no trace of her. He eventually caught up with her under the bridge. He had seen her sitting on the wall, dangling her legs over the drop into the water.

"Brooke please tell me that you're not going to do anything stupid." he said as he approached her. He was a little out of breath from running.

"Why would you think I would?" Brooke asked in surprise as he sat beside her.

"Because of where you're sat and what's happened." He pointed out.

"This is where I come when I don't want anyone to find me to think," Brooke replied. "Everyone knows about my other places. You're the first person to find me here."

"I won't tell anybody about this place." he promised her.

"You know I thought that having a memorial service would help," Brooke said sadly. "It hasn't. It hasn't helped in the slightest. I ruined everybody's Christmas for no reason."

"You didn't ruin everyone's Christmas Brooke," Lucas assured her as he went to wrap his arm around her shoulders. She shrugged him away as he did. He felt the prick of tears in his eyes at the rejection. "Stop pushing me away. It's not only you going through this Brooke. Ashley was _my_ baby too."

"I know that Lucas," Brooke replied in an exasperated tone. "Do you have any idea how guilty I feel every time I look in your eyes and see the pain there? It's pain that _I_ caused because I was incapable of keeping our baby safe. I was losing the baby before Jimmy shot me."

"How can you say that it's your fault?" Lucas asked incredulously. "The stress of that situation alone would have been enough to cause a miscarriage Brooke."

"I didn't tell you everything at the hospital Luke." she said in a barely audible tone. However, he was still able to hear her.

"What didn't you tell me?"

"The Halloween I ended up in the alley, I got pregnant from it and I had abortion," she began to explain. Lucas couldn't help his expression changing to one of shock. "So as my punishment when I want the baby that I'm carrying it gets taken away and I can't have anymore. That's karma or fate or whatever the hell you want to call it. Because of what I did, our baby paid the price."

"Why didn't you tell me about that?" Lucas asked after a few moments of silence.

"Because it's something I'm not proud of," Brooke told him. "Not even now that I know it was Jimmy Edward's baby."

"Does anyone else know about that?"

"I told everybody at the hospital while you were in your coma."

"So I'm the last to know?" Lucas asked in shock. Brooke nodded numbly. "Why didn't you tell me Brooke? You should have told me _before_ everyone else. We're supposed to be in a relationship, yet lately I feel that you're pushing me further and further away at every chance you get."

"I'm trying to hang on Lucas. I'm trying so hard, but the guilt that I feel is too much," Brooke told him sadly as tears streamed down her face. "You've never done anything as horrible as what I've done so you have _no_ idea what I'm feeling or going through right now."

"Yes I do!" Lucas almost yelled. "You just don't get it that I understand."

"No you don't," Brooke yelled back as she pushed herself up to her feet. "_You_ can still go on and have a family with anyone except me. To me that screams that we're not meant to be together Lucas. Because if we are you'll have to give up the chance of having a family."

"Brooke." Lucas said as he too stood. She had begun to walk away as he stood.

"_Don't_ follow me Lucas," she told him in a warning tone without turning around. "You've taken the last place that I had to be alone. Now I'm going to have to try and find a new one."

"Are you coming home?" he asked as he stopped. He got no reply from her. The only thing he could do was watch as she continued to walk away from him.


	27. Chapter 26

**Hey lovely readers!**

**Thanks for the reviews and adds and being patient for this installment. I just want to apologize for yet another uncheery chapter. But I assure you things will start to pick back up soon. Hope you enjoy it anyway. Let me know what you think.**

**Leeese**

* * *

><p>Chase's 18th birthday party had been thrown a couple of days after Christmas. Both Brooke and Lucas attended even though neither of them were in the partying mood. The other party goers both saw and felt the tension between the two of them and had tried their best to get them to talk to each other. It had ended up with Brooke walking out and driving off. She hadn't returned to Lucas's house until breakfast the next morning. Lucas had spent the night worrying about her in between bouts of hating her for how she was shunning him.<p>

New Year's Eve came and went and the relationship between Brooke and Lucas grew more even strained and fragile by the day. Now that Nathan was once again living with Deb, Brooke moved her things out of Lucas's bedroom and had taken the room Nathan had used. Lucas became even more brooding at that turn of events and knew that it was only a matter of time before one of them announced that their relationship was officially over. However, the fact that neither of them had said outright things were done between them gave him hope that they might be able to salvage what was left between them.

Karen and Keith became increasingly concerned over Brooke and Lucas's rocky relationship. They were worried that the stress would give Lucas another heart attack and maybe also cause Brooke to sink further into the depression that she was so obviously stuck in and do something to hurt herself. They had tried contacting Brooke's parents, but still hadn't had the return call from them. On one of the visits to her doctor to check the progress of the healing of her wound, he had suggested that Brooke should see a therapist to talk about her feelings. Brooke had been adamant that she didn't want to do that but the doctor had insisted. Brooke reluctantly attended the appointments but never spoke a word to the therapist.

Brooke seemed to spend most of her time out of school at the cemetery. She would sit beside Ashley's cherry blossom tree next to Lindsey's grave and cry or talk to both Ashley and Lindsey. Julian joined her a lot of the time and the two would sit in a pained silence after they had run out of things to say for the day. Brooke couldn't help but notice that Lucas wasn't a frequent visitor to the memorial for Ashley and she found herself resenting him for it. It had started leading to arguments between the two and added to the strain tenfold.

Both Karen and Keith thought that things couldn't get any worse in their house, until Karen made a shocking discovery almost two weeks after New Year; she was pregnant. At first she had thought that she had been late due to all the stress from the shooting and the upsetting aftermath. She had done a test to rule out the possibility of being pregnant and had been more than shocked at the result. A trip to the doctor had confirmed it. The two of them had then had a hushed discussion in the café kitchen about how to tell Brooke and Lucas the news. Both had decided that it was best to keep it to themselves for as long as they possibly could. Karen felt guilty at keeping it a secret but knew that it was for the best considering the vulnerable state both Brooke and Lucas were in.

More birthdays passed; Rachel's 18th, Karen's 38th and Millie's 18th before it was almost time to celebrate Jenny's first birthday. Jake had initially planned to throw her a huge party and have Brooke be the guest of honor. He now wondered if he should still have Brooke be that considering her current state of mind. Yet he couldn't picture celebrating Jenny's birthday without the person who had been more of a mother to her than anyone else.

Brooke had quit cheerleading and now spent most of her time at school in the library. After talking to her therapist, Principal Turner had agreed to allow her to study there as it seemed to calm her so she could focus on her work. He personally set about helping her when she needed it and checked on her at the start and end of each period. She even ate her lunch there too.

It was the day before Jenny's birthday and Jake quietly made his way into the library at lunch. He scanned the tables and eventually found Brooke sat in one of the small study rooms that branched off from the main library area. He noticed that the lunch that Karen had made for her was sat on the table untouched as she stared into space. He couldn't help but notice how tired and gaunt she looked. It took her several minutes to register his presence even after he had said her name several times.

"Sorry I didn't see you." She told him in a dull tone as he sat on the spare seat beside her.

"That's okay," Jake replied softly. "How are you getting on with the English assignment?"

"I finished it," Brooke told him in the same tone. "That's the advantage of being here. I don't have distractions from other people."

"It's not the same without you in class," Jake told her. He was silent for a few minutes as he worked up the courage to approach the subject he had come to talk to her about. "Brooke, I came to ask you something. But I'm worried I might upset you."

"Jake you can't upset me anymore than I already am," she replied. "What is it?"

"It's about Jenny's birthday tomorrow," he answered. He decided to just bite the bullet and ask. "I was hoping that you would be the guest of honor at her party."

"Isn't she supposed to be that?"

"Well yeah, but I wanted to do something special for you," he explained. "You've done so much for her and helped me so much since she was born. I know that the timing isn't great with everything that has gone on and the last thing you want to do is celebrate; but it wouldn't feel right without you being there."

"I don't know Jake," Brooke replied with a sigh. She was torn about what to do. She had looked forward to Jenny's first birthday before the events at Tric. Now she didn't know if she could handle it. "If this was a couple of months ago then I would have been all for it. But now I would only take the fun out of the occasion."

"No you wouldn't," Jake assured her. "You would be adding more to it for Jenny. She misses you Brooke; I miss you. So does everybody else."

"I'm sure they do," Brooke scoffed. "How can they miss miserable old Brooke? All I do is sit and brood and cry. Why did it all have to work out like this? I know I did a bad thing having an abortion after what happened in the alley but do I really deserve to never be able to have a baby at all?"

"Brooke you're not being punished for that." Jake assured her as she burst into tears. He reached out to comfort her but she moved out of his way. She began to pace back and forth.

"It sure feels that way to me," Brooke replied as she wiped her tears away with her hands. "And I know people are getting sick and tired of how I'm acting but I don't care. It's me that has to deal with this for the rest of my life not anybody else."

"Nobody is getting sick of you."

"Karen and Keith are," Brooke replied. "Just lately they've been acting _really_ weird around me. They stop talking whenever I go into the kitchen and they're in there and I know that it's about me."

"How do you know?"

"Because I heard my name mentioned a few times," Brooke answered. "Nobody wants me around so I think it would be best if I didn't go to Jenny's birthday party tomorrow."

"Brooke, she'll be so disappointed that you won't be there." Jake said in a sincere tone.

"I'll go and see her before school tomorrow," Brooke told him. "I just can't face a party."

"Okay," Jake relented. He knew he wouldn't be able to convince her to change her mind. "How about I make you some of those pancakes that you like? I'll be making some for Jenny anyway so it won't be any hassle."

"Okay," Brooke agreed just before the bell rang to signal the end of lunch. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"I'm looking forward to it already," Jake said as he stood and smiled genuinely. "Just make sure to take care of yourself okay? And eat something. You're looking too skinny there Davis."

Before Brooke could reply, Jake turned and left the small room. Brooke headed back over to her seat and sat down. She looked at the food in front of her with disinterest. Her appetite was barely existent lately. She picked up the uneaten, still wrapped food and shoved it into the brown paper bag that had her name written on it in Karen's familiar writing. She put it back in her book bag before she picked up the half drunk can of soda and took a tentative sip before she moved her attention back to her schoolwork.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Brooke took a deep breath before she headed up the path towards Jake's front door. She had a gift and card for Jenny held tightly in her grasp. The shiny pink wrapping paper glinted in the pale morning sunlight. As she reached the doorway, she found that she didn't even have to knock. Jake stood at the opposite site with Jenny in his arms. The little girl smiled widely as she saw Brooke heading towards them. Brooke found that she couldn't resist smiling back at her.

"I told you Brooke was coming for breakfast," Jake told her as Brooke stepped into the house. Brooke gave him an inquisitive look. "She was getting a little impatient."

"Sorry I'm late. I had a few errands I needed to do first." Brooke apologized as they headed towards the kitchen. Jenny moved herself in Jake's arms so that she was looking at Brooke over his shoulder. She kept smiling as she did.

"At this time of day?" Jake asked in a surprised tone.

"Yeah," she replied in a tone that told him the matter wasn't open for discussion. "Breakfast smells good."

"Yup!" Jenny agreed as Jake put her into her seat at the table. Brooke sat in a chair beside her.

"It'll be ready any minute." Jake informed her before he headed over to the stove to check on it.

"Is it okay to give Jenny her gift now?" Brooke asked. She was beginning to feel a little awkward and couldn't wait to leave the once comforting house.

"Sure." Jake replied as he glanced over his shoulder at the two girls. He watched as Brooke handed Jenny her birthday card.

"For me!" Jenny said in a happy tone as she tore open the envelope. She giggled as she pulled the card open and saw the pink elephant on the front of the card. "Efelump!"

"As soon as I saw that I knew it was the right card for you," Brooke told her as she gave her a strained smile. She was starting to feel sad once again as she thought of never being able to have this experience with a child of her own. She took a steadying breath before she handed Jenny the gift. "I got you this too."

"Pwesent!" Jenny squealed as she abandoned the card and began to tear at the shiny paper. She let out another, louder happy squeal as it revealed a stuffed pink elephant. "Nuva efelump!"

"That is great timing with that Brooke," Jake told her as he joined them at the table with a plate piled high with pancakes. He placed it in the center as he sat. "She lost her other one yesterday somewhere. I was waiting to see if she got a new one today before I got her another."

"I must be psychic." Brooke replied with another strained smile.

"Thank you for coming here today Brooke," Jake told her in a sincere tone. He could see that she was finding the visit tough. "It means a lot; to both me and Jenny."

"You're welcome," Brooke replied before she turned her attention back to Jenny. "So what are you going to name the elephant Jenny?"

"Um," Jenny began before she paused in thought. "Egg!"

"Egg the elephant?" Jake asked in an amused tone. "Are you sure?"

"Peanut." Jenny replied as she hugged the elephant tightly. "Peanut"

"Peanut the pink elephant?" Jake asked again, still sounding amused. "It's better than ChewChew."

"And kind of fitting." Brooke added thinking back to Dumbo.

"Okay now you've named Peanut, how about some pancakes for your birthday breakfast?"

"Yay!" Jenny said in a happy tone as Jake put one on her plate and cut it up for her.

"You can manage that yourself right?" he asked as he handed her the baby cutlery.

"Uh huh." She replied before she began attacking her food with great pleasure. Brooke watched her and wished she had the same enthusiasm for food. She then turned her attention back to her own breakfast and went through the motions of eating so that she could get out of their sooner.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Almost a week later it was what would have been Lindsey's 18th birthday. Brooke and Julian skipped school that day and spent the day beside her grave. Julian had sneaked a bottle of his dad's whiskey out of the house and he and Brooke ended up sharing it. By the time they were done drinking, it was dinner time and both were a little drunk.

When Keith came to look for Brooke so that they could eat, he found her and Julian heading along the sidewalk from the cemetery. Both were finding it extremely difficult to walk and kept falling over. Keith had to help them both into the auto shop truck and began the journey to take them home. He had to stop once before he dropped Julian off so that Julian could throw up. After dropping him off, he had had to make yet another stop so that Brooke could throw up. When the journey back to the house continued, it was done in silence.

Back at the house, Brooke had gone straight to her room and had passed out on her bed. Keith informed Karen and Lucas about the events and Lucas had immediately left the table to go and check on Brooke. He had found her on her back on the bed, so had moved her onto her side in case she was sick again. He had then headed to his own room and sat down to write on his computer instead of going to eat his dinner. Karen and Keith had shared an exasperated look before eating their own meals. Karen had then put the leftovers into containers ready for when Brooke and Lucas wanted to eat.

Later that night, Brooke woke up with a pounding headache. She groggily got off her bed and made her way down the short flight of stairs. She had to pause once she reached the bottom as her head was spinning from the effort. The lack of food she had consumed recently didn't help matters. Just as her brain was slowing down from the dance it had been doing in her skull, she was able to focus on the muted voices of Karen and Keith who were talking in the lounge.

"She won't take the news well at all Keith," she heard Karen say. "She's getting worse; not better. This will just make things so much harder for her. She's been through so much that this might be _too_ much."

"It may not," Keith replied. Brooke frowned as she wondered what they were talking about. "You never know; it could help her."

"Trust me Keith it won't," Karen insisted. "I know if I was in Brooke's shoes and had gotten the news that she had and then I found out that my boyfriend's mother was pregnant; I wouldn't take it well."

Brooke's hand flew to her mouth to stifle the shocked gasp that threatened to spill out at what she heard. Now she knew why they had both been acting so strange around her lately. Part of her was happy for Karen and Keith and their impending trip into parenthood together. But the majority of her was jealous and angry at what she had heard.

_Why does she get to have two children when I can have none?_ Brooke thought to herself as she sank onto the bottom step. She immediately felt guilty for the thought. She continued to sit on the step for several more minutes as her brain went over and over what she had just heard. She knew that she couldn't stay in the house and watch Karen's progressing pregnancy.

As quietly as she could she got up off the step and headed back up to her room. She looked for her car keys and groaned as she remembered she had left them at Julian's. She then began to sneak back down the stairs. There was one place where she knew she could escape to and not have to witness Karen experiencing something that she desperately wanted.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Brooke made her way up the garden path towards the big white house that used to be her home. The once red door was now black; another change that her parents hadn't told her about. The first thing she had noticed was the huge 'for sale' sign on the front lawn that had a 'sold' sticker stuck right across it. Julian had mentioned that he had seen a sign being put up that morning while they were at the graveyard. However, she didn't think that the house would have been sold already.

She walked over to the plant pot where the spare key used to be kept. She hoped that it was still there. She picked it up and felt underneath. She managed a satisfied smile when she felt it was indeed still there; held in place by the sticky tape. She pulled it off, placed the pit back down and made her way to the front door. She then unlocked it and headed inside.

She flipped the light on and saw that the house was bare of furniture. She briefly wondered where her parents had decided to settle as she wandered down the hallway towards the lounge. She didn't realize that she hadn't shut the door properly. She flipped the light on when she walked into the lounge and looked around. The only thing that was left in the room was left over packing materials and a box cutter. She assumed that the rest of the house would be in the same state. She began to pace back and forth as she tried to come up with a new plan.

She suddenly stopped in her tracks as she reached the patio doors that overlooked the pool. An idea that had been at the back of her mind for several weeks had forced its way forward. Brooke then headed over to the fireplace and picked up a key for the patio doors. She headed over to them and unlocked them before she took her jacket off. She then opened the doors and stepped out into the cold night air.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Julian walked through the dark, quiet streets slowly. He found peace in the silence and solace they offered. He had just stormed out of his house after fighting with his parents. He knew that they were only concerned for him, but he was sick of them telling him how he should be grieving over Lindsey. He wanted to do it in his own time and own way and now others seemed to be expecting him to start moving on.

He was drawn out of his thoughts as a violent shiver went through him. In his haste to get out of his parents house he had forgotten to pick up his jacket. He debated whether to go back for it, but his anger made him against the idea almost instantly. He'd rather freeze than go back at that moment.

His gaze then moved to the house that he was near; Brooke's house. He frowned as he saw that there were lights on in the entrance hall and lounge. He didn't think that she would have gone back there after him telling her about the sign. He presumed that she had headed back there to see if there was anything left there that she wanted. He decided to go inside and see what she was doing.

He was halfway up the garden path when it registered in his mind that the front door wasn't closed. He immediately tried to be more alert; however the alcohol he had consumed for most of the day still lingered in his system and made it a difficult task. He reached the door and pushed it open wider before he stepped into the house as quietly as he could. He then tried his best to creep down the hallway and to the lounge.

Julian peered inside and saw Brooke's jacket on the floor near the open patio doors and frowned. He quickly crossed over to the doors, tripping over the packing supplies in the process, and peered outside. He squinted to try and make out something more than his own reflection and the vague shape of the pool. He then fumbled around on the wall for the light switch that he knew would illuminate the patio and pool area. He found it and pressed it. A shock gasp left his mouth at the sight that met him.

He wasted no time in rushing out of the doors and towards the pool. The image of the red water and the dark shape in the water that looked too much like Brooke for his liking wasn't coming closer to him fast enough. It felt like a lifetime before he reached the edge of the pool. He jumped in and waded over to where the shape was. He took a deep breath before he submerged himself and swam down to the bottom of the pool. He grabbed hold of the person in the water firmly before he swam back to the surface. He made it back to the side of the pool as quick as he could and made his way out of the water. He was glad that Brooke's pool was the type that had large wide steps built into the wall like a normal staircase. It made the task a lot easier.

Once he was out of the pool he carefully placed the person down on the patio. All the while he hoped that it wasn't Brooke. However, he knew that it was even before he brushed the wet brunette hair out of her face. He let out a strangled sob as he saw her still form and wondered how long she had been in the water. He quickly tried to compose himself before he began attempting CPR. As he did he hoped that what he had seen on TV and in movies was enough to help his friend. He didn't know if he was doing enough chest compressions to each breath or if he was even pressing in the right place. He just hoped that he didn't cause more harm than what had already been inflicted.

Julian continued to work on Brooke for what felt like forever to him. When he heard her splutter and saw her begin to cough up water, he had never felt as relieved in his entire life. He gently rolled her over onto her side as so that she didn't choke. As he did, his knee knocked against something that had been lying beside the pool and it slid a few inches away from him. He looked at what it was and discovered that it was a box cutter. He couldn't help but notice the blood on the blade. He then turned his attention back to Brooke and began to check her over to see where she had been cut.

It didn't take him long to see that she had used the box cutter on each wrist. He knew he had to stop the blood flow somehow; even though she had more than likely lost too much blood. He quickly picked pulled his sweater over his head and picked the box cutter up. He then hacked at the sleeves of it until they were both off. He then proceeded to use them as make shift bandages on her wrists. He then quickly hurried inside and grabbed the remnants of a ball of string in with the packing supplies before heading back out to secure the sleeves around her wrists.

"Brooke, open your eyes and look at me," he said after the dressings were as secure as he could get them. "Brooke come on! God please don't let me be too late."

"S-s-so c-c-cold." Brooke managed to say in a faint voice as she shivered uncontrollably. Julian felt a little relief as he heard it.

"I'll go and get your coat." he said before he dashed back inside.

He returned mere moments later and placed the coat over her torso. He then remembered that he had his cell phone in his jeans pocket and pulled it out. He tested to see if it was working but the pool water had ruined it. He then checked Brooke's jacket pockets as he began to shiver. He was relieved to find her cell in the inside pocket. He would have done a happy dance at the discovery, but he knew it wasn't the time or the place. He then dialed 911 and prayed that the ambulance would get there in time.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"It was just all too much," Brooke said to her shrink Olivia as she sniveled. She was led in a bed in a private room at the hospital as she received the last remnants of her blood transfusion. Olivia handed her a tissue as Brooke continued to talk. "I just couldn't deal with hearing what Karen had said. It was like being told that I would never be able to have a baby all over again. I just wanted the pain to stop and that was the only way."

"Did you go to your house with the intention of doing what you did?" Olivia asked her softly. She was both relieved and surprised that Brooke had finally reached the point to open up to her.

"No," Brooke said as she wiped at her tears. "Julian told me that the house had been put up for sale, so I thought it would be the perfect place to go to be by myself. When I got there it was sold and empty, so I knew that I couldn't stay there."

"What made you decide to try and kill yourself?" Olivia asked, again using the soft tone to ask the harsh question.

"I'd be lying if I said that the thought hadn't crossed my mind before tonight," Brooke murmured. "I saw the box cutter in the abandoned packing supplies and then the pool and it just all clicked into place. I knew that if I did that then I wouldn't have to deal with this pain any longer."

"Are you angry that Julian managed to save you?"

"I don't know," Brooke admitted as more tears fell. "I don't know what to feel anymore. Everything is such a mess in my head. I need to sort my head out so I can think straight again and I can't do that here."

"What about your parents?" Olivia asked. "Why don't you go and stay with them?"

"Because they would only make me worse," Brooke told her. "They don't care about me; they never had. I need to go some place new to get better. I have money so it won't be a problem."

"Brooke you need a support system around you right now," Olivia told her. "You're getting over something traumatic. You need your friends at least."

"No I don't," Brooke insisted. "I've been around my friends the whole time and look what good it's done me. I can't stay in this town and get over what happened. I know I may not be able to get over it elsewhere but I need to try."

"Will you try to do anything like this again?"

"Right now, I can't promise that I won't." Brooke admitted.

"You need to put the idea of running away out of your mind; at least for as long as you're recovering from this," Olivia told her. "You need to stay here and get better physically before you think about moving away. Now I'm going to let you get some rest and I'll speak to you again on Monday at our usual appointment. I'm going to trust you not to do anything stupid again before then okay? So don't make me regret it."

Brooke remained silent as Olivia put her paperwork into her briefcase. She then stood and headed out of the door. Brooke thought she heard her mutter a goodbye but she couldn't be sure. A few moments later the door opened again and Julian came into the room. Brooke looked over at him and saw how tired and distraught he looked and hated herself for putting him through this on Lindsey's birthday of all days. She looked away from him as he sat in the visitor's seat beside her bed that Olivia had just vacated.

"Why did you do it Brooke?" Julian asked in a hoarse voice. She could tell that he'd been crying.

"I just couldn't deal with everything anymore," she told him in a sad tone. "Not after I found out that Karen was pregnant."

"Karen's _pregnant_?" Julian asked in a shocked tone. Brooke nodded. "Damn. I understand how hard that must be for you to hear that so soon after Ashley. But you shouldn't have done it. I've already lost Lindsey; I can't lose you too Brooke."

"I'm sorry." Brooke replied as a fresh round of tears over took her. Julian couldn't stop his own from falling.

"I need you Brooke. You're my closest friend," Julian told her in a desperate tone. "You're the only one who knows what I'm going through thanks to Jimmy fucking Edwards. You're the only one I feel comfortable with confiding all the things I have about Lindsey. You can't leave me alone; you just can't."

"I'm so sorry," Brooke repeated. "But I feel as if I have nothing left to live for now that I can't have babies of my own. It was the one thing that I was sure that I would actually be able to be good at. But now I don't even have the choice to have babies or not."

"Brooke it could have been you in Lindsey's place in Tric that day. But it wasn't. What happened that day was the worst thing that could have ever happened to us. But we're still here Brooke; we survived. So we need to honor Lindsey and Ashley and live our lives because they _can't_," Julian told her. He used some of the words his parents had in the argument before he had left. "And you can still have a child; you just won't be able to carry it. And from what I've heard women hate that part anyway. So why not let someone else do the hard work for you and then you can have a beautiful baby at the end of it that is your flesh and blood."

Brooke remained silent as she let Julian's words sink into her brain. She couldn't help but admit that what he said made sense. She suddenly felt ashamed for her actions and her guilt at making him feel the way he was became stronger.

"You're right," she said in a croaky tone. "But I can't see myself doing what you said in Tree Hill. This place has far too many bad memories for me. Almost everywhere I go I'm reminded of some horrible thing that happened to me. I need to leave and I need to do it as soon as I can."

"I agree," Julian replied surprising her. "I feel that way too. My life was torn apart here. I see things that remind me of Lindsey everywhere too. Even though they're good memories I can't bear it right now."

"Can you do me a favor?" she asked as a thought suddenly occurred to her.

"What?"

"Can you tell Lucas and Karen and Keith that I don't want to see them while I'm in here?" she asked. "I can't deal with seeing them after this; not with everything else that is going on in my head."

"Sure I can," Julian replied. He frowned as he added. "I haven't even told them that you're in here. I don't think they even know what happened."

"Would you tell them what I did?"

"If you want me to then I will."

"They're going to be so disappointed in me," Brooke said in a sad tone. "But after what she said, I just couldn't deal with it; it's too soon to watch someone round me enjoy something that I should be going through right now."

"I know," Julian said as he reached out and took hold of her hand. She could see the anguish in his eyes. "And I promise you that I'll make sure they don't come to see you. And when you get out of here you can come and stay with me and my parents until you figure out your next move."

"Thank you," Brooke replied in a grateful tone. "I owe you so much Julian."

"What are friends for?" he asked as a single tear escaped his eye. He reached up with his free hand and wiped it away. "I better get going and call my dad to come pick me up. Is it okay if I use your cell? My kind of got wet when I jumped in the pool."

"Sure," Brooke told him. "I think it's in my jacket pocket."

"I've got it," he replied as he fished it out of his now dry jeans. "I made the 911 call on it. Lucas has text you several times but I didn't read any of them."

"Why didn't you just call your dad?"

"It kind of felt like I was invading your personal stuff," Julian admitted. "I'll call him and then leave this with you."

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Brooke did _what_?!" Keith asked in a shocked tone as Julian finished telling them what had happened that night.

"You're _pregnant_?!" Lucas asked Karen in disbelief. "How could you be so inconsiderate mom?!"

"Lucas!" Keith said in a shocked tone.

"I didn't get pregnant deliberately Lucas," Karen told him in an identical tone. "It just happened. I didn't know that Brooke was eavesdropping on our conversation. And quite frankly I'm surprised that you choose to bring that up first and not what Brooke tried to do to herself."

"It's because of you that she did that," Lucas said sounding pissed. He stood and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I'm going to see her."

"She doesn't want you to," Julian told him. "I thought I made it clear what she wanted."

"I don't care what she wants," Lucas said getting angrier by the minute. "She obviously doesn't care what I want so why the fuck should I respect her wishes. I want answers from her!"

"Lucas!" Keith said in a firm tone. He knew that the news was upsetting for Lucas to hear but he hadn't expected him to react this way.

"What?!" Lucas spat as he spun to face Keith. "I'm not apologizing for my language; not after something you did made Brooke do that. And I can't believe she was so selfish. She acts like she's the only one going through this but she's not. It's affected me to and nobody seems to care."

"Lucas you need to calm down before you have another heart attack." Keith almost yelled.

"Fuck you!" Lucas replied before he stormed out of the lounge. The occupants of the room heard his bedroom door slam close.

"Julian I think it would be best if you left," Karen said looking and sounding upset. "And don't worry; I'll make sure that Lucas stays away from Brooke."


	28. Chapter 27

**Hey lovely readers!**

**Here's an update finally! Thanks for being so patient! My muse finally returned with a vengeance for this chapter! Hope you enjoy it. I'd just like to say a quick thanks to those people who have recently added this to alerts and faves! Hope you all enjoy this!**

**Leeese**

* * *

><p>The next day, Brooke discharged herself from the hospital. As she walked out of the hospital's main entrance, Julian was there to greet her.<p>

"I knew you'd sign yourself out," he said as he gave her a wry smile. "Thought it would be best to stake out the entrance rather than wait inside."

"You know me too well Julian," Brooke replied in a tired tone. The two then began to head towards the parking lot. "So how did they take the news?"

"Not good," Julian replied as he gently guided her in the direction they needed to go. "Lucas threw a hissy fit and stomped out and Karen told me to go. I never expected Lucas to say 'fuck' to Keith as many times as he did."

"He _actually_ swore? At Keith?!" Brooke asked now sounding surprised. Julian nodded in reply. "Wow."

"I know," Julian agreed with a sigh. He then began to fill her in on the rest of the night's events. "After Karen asked me to leave, my dad drove us home. Then I asked him and my mom if you could stay when you got out of this place. I thought I would have to plead and bargain with them but they said yes right away."

"They did?" Brooke asked now sounding suspicious. "Since when did your parents agree to anything so quickly? I thought your dad always wanted to run a full risk assessment before committing himself to anything?"

"He does," Julian confirmed. "So it kind of makes me believe that's there an ulterior motive to their actions. And I have a hunch I know what it is."

"What?" Brooke asked sounding hesitant.

"I'm guessing that they think that if you're staying with us it will make it so that I don't wallow around sulking and brooding over Lindsey." Julian explained. "The reason why I found you last night was because I'd stormed out after having a huge fight with them because they were basically telling me how I should be grieving over Lindsey."

"Nobody should ever tell somebody how to mourn the loss of someone they love," Brooke mumbled as they reached his car. "Everybody deals with grief in their own way. People should know that by now."

"I know, right?" Julian replied as he unlocked the car. He then helped Brooke into the front passenger seat. "So we'll head to the Scott house and get your stuff then go to mine. How does that sound?"

"Fine; as long as Lucas isn't there," Brooke replied. "I can't face seeing him just yet."

"I saw him heading into school when I was driving past," Julian told her before he closed the passenger door. He then quickly made his way round to the other side of the car and sat in the driver's seat before he continued. "He looked like he could Hulk out at any moment."

"At least he won't be at the house," Brooke remarked as Julian started the car. "Seeing him just reminds me of what I can never give him. Seeing him makes me wonder if Ashley would have looked like him. Seeing him just hurts too damn much because I don't know how to tell him I'm sorry for not being able to keep Ashley alive."

"You don't need to apologize to him for that," Julian assured her in a soothing tone. "The only person who is responsible for that put a bullet in his head because he was too fucking chicken to face the consequences of his actions."

"He should have done that after that Halloween and saved us all a whole heap of heartache," Brooke said in a bitter tone. She then let out an exasperated sigh before adding. "I feel like I'm stuck in some kind of vicious nightmare cycle. I mean I think I've made progress and then two seconds later I'm back to how I was. Am I ever going to get past this?"

"I know you've probably heard this a _lot_ over the past few weeks; because I know I have," Julian began. "But apparently time is a great healer. So if that's true then I guess yes you will. Right now, my personal opinion on that particular theory is that it's complete bullshit. I don't ever see myself getting over losing Lindsey. People say that I'm too young to say things like this; but I was going to spend the rest of my life with that girl."

"I actually saw myself doing that with Lucas," Brooke admitted. "Now I can't see anything in my future except a big, black hole."

"Ditto," Julian replied as he gave her a sad smile. They were silent for several minutes before he spoke again. "Alright, let's stop with the self pity for now and concentrating on getting your stuff and getting you settled in at my place."

The drive to Karen and Keith's house was done in silence. Brooke found a heavily feeling build up in her chest as they drove. It got worse the closer she got to their destination. When Julian pulled up outside the house and switched the engine off, Brooke that she was actually going to throw up at the thought of going inside and facing Karen. She hoped that she would be at the café so she could avoid running into her.

Taking a deep breath, Brooke hurriedly climbed out of the car. The sooner they got her things and left the better. Julian followed her as she headed towards the front door of the house. As always, the front door wasn't locked so Brooke was able to walk right into the house and made it to her bedroom without incident. It took mere minutes for them to get her things together as most of it was still packed from her moving into the room from Lucas's. Before she knew it, Brooke was back in the car heading to Julian's place; her heart feeling heavier than ever before.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Brooke did _what_?!" Rachel asked in disbelief as Lucas finished filling everyone in on the previous night's events at lunch time.

"I can't believe it," Jake said sounding shell shocked. "Why would she do that? I thought she was coping."

"Here's the best part," Lucas almost spat as his expression turned even darker than it had been when he started talking. "It happened because my mom is pregnant."

"Karen's pregnant?" Haley asked sounding surprised and happy. "Well that's good news for your mom and Keith right?"

"Their timing sucks," Lucas said angrily. "They could have waited until me and Brooke had graduated. That way we wouldn't have to be around to watch them get to have something that we can't."

"Lucas I'm sure that they didn't plan this to happen," Haley said trying to soothe his anger. "As hard as it is for you to process this, you need to see it from their side too."

"How can I?" Lucas asked with a scowl. "Everybody expects me to see everything from everyone else's side; yet does anyone ever see anything from mine?"

"Of course we do man." Owen told him gently.

"Sure you do," Lucas replied as he gave each of his friends a glare. He stood as he did and the pain, anger and grief he felt was clearly visible on his face. "Well you're all doing a great job because I feel more alone now than I ever have."

"Luke-" Mouth began but he didn't get any further as Lucas turned away from them and stomped away.

"Have we really neglected our friend so much?" Millie asked in almost a whisper.

"I feel so bad right now," Nathan said as he put his food down. "He's my brother and I should have paid him more attention and given him more support after the whole Tric situation. I'd go after him but these damn crutches are a pain in my ass."

"I'm pretty sure that's not how you're supposed to use them." Clay said trying to lighten the situation. His attempt at humor failed as nobody laughed. They all sat in a stunned and guilty silence as they thought about how they could help both Brooke and Lucas get through the new hurdle that life had given them.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Brooke was sat in the kitchen of Julian's house with her eyes glued to the notebook computer in front of her. It was just after midnight and everyone else in the house was sleeping. Or so she thought. Her fingers worked furiously over the keys and mouse pad as she began to put into motion the new idea that had come into her head that afternoon. She was so engrossed in absorbing the information on the screen that she never heard Julian come into the kitchen. He frowned as he saw her and made his way over to her when she didn't acknowledge his presence. He spied at the screen over her shoulder and immediately guessed what she was up to.

"Can I come with you?" he asked causing the brunette to jump. She hastily spun her head round to look at him; her hazel eyes were wide in alarm.

"Julian! You scared me!" she said as she willed her heart to slow down to its normal rhythm.

"Sorry," he replied in a sheepish tone as he pulled out a chair and sat beside her. "I didn't mean to scare you. I thought you might have heard me but was deliberately ignoring me."

"I was reading," she explained. "I kind of zoned out I guess."

"So you're leaving?" he asked as he gestured towards the screen. She nodded.

"I can't deal with this town right now," she explained quietly. "I just need to get away for a while. Maybe it will help me process everything better and give me the chance to start healing."

"Can I come with you?" Julian asked again. "Everything you just said I find myself agreeing with for myself. Plus I can be your bodyguard; if you need one that is."

"Wouldn't your parents be worried if you just took off?" Brooke asked. "Because I don't plan on telling anybody where I'm going. I want a clean break away; even if it's only for a few weeks."

"They probably would," Julian admitted. "But I could leave them a note to explain everything. And if I did need to get in touch with them there's always the phone. But like you said it will only be for a few weeks."

"I don't want you getting in trouble with your parents," Brooke told him. "I mean I don't need to worry about mine; they obviously don't give two hoots about me. But yours actually care about you."

"They'll understand," Julian told her, realizing he did in fact need a break from his home town. His eyes then moved back to the computer screen. "So has anywhere caught your eye yet?"

"Yeah. I was just looking at flights and places to stay there," Brooke told him as she brought up a screen that showed her chosen destination. "A great place to lose yourself I reckon."

"Couldn't agree more," Julian replied as he nodded. "I'm thinking I should get a fake ID so I can try my hand in some casinos while we're there."

"What happened to your other fake ID?" she asked him curiously.

"I lost it," he admitted as he shook his head. "The last time I remember seeing it was a few weeks ago. Which sucks because I need it now more than ever."

"I think I should get a new one too with a different name," Brooke said in a thoughtful tone. "You know just in case anyone decides to try looking for me with the name I have on the current one. Not that that would actually happen of course, but you never know."

"How about we go and see the dude who makes them tomorrow?" Julian suggested. "We can get the same last name on them and I can be your overprotective big brother who hits guys who try hitting on you."

"That would work," Brooke said as she managed a smile. "We could be on vacation with our parents who love to spend their time gambling and drinking the days away and leave us to our own devices."

"Sounds like we got our cover story in case anybody asks," Julian said as he nodded once again. "And we could up our ages. Do you think I could pass for 22?"

"Nope," Brooke said as she snorted. "I may be able to but not you goofball. You might be able to pass for 12."

"That's harsh!" Julian replied as he faked a wounded expression and held his hand over his heart. He couldn't keep the act up and giggled as he added. "You're lucky you're you. Only you can get away with insulting me like that. Besides Linds-"

He trailed off before he could finish Lindsey's name; the pain evident in his voice. Brooke reached a hand out and rubbed his arm soothingly as he rested his elbow on the table and placed his head into his hand. They sat in silence for several minutes while Julian composed himself, before they resumed making plans to get out of Tree Hill.

"So Vegas then?" Julian asked as they both looked at the screen once again.

"Yep," Brooke confirmed. "When should we go?"

"The sooner the better right?" Julian asked in reply. Brooke nodded as she brought up the sight to book flights.

"Huh. The first available flights are on Valentine's Day." Brooke told him as her eyes scanned the data in front of her.

"Monday?" Julian asked in surprise. She nodded. "At least that gives us two days to get packed and new fake ID's."

"And for you to think what you're going to tell your parents in your note," Brooke reminded him. "I still think you should tell them face to face though."

"Brooke if I did that they would stop me going," Julian said as he sighed. "They wouldn't let me take the time off school."

"You might be surprised," Brooke said as she finished booking the plane tickets. "There all done. Now we just need to work on where we're going to stay."

"The Bellagio," Julian said instantly. "I've always wanted to go there. And if we're vacationing we may as well do it in style."

"I'll let you do that. I have to go and pee." Brooke said as she stood.

"I'll see if I can get a suite with two bedrooms," Julian said sounding excited. "It'll be like having our own apartment. We can be roomies."

"You're such a dork sometimes." Brooke said as she chuckled to herself.

Julian managed a chuckle of his own as she left the kitchen. He was glad that he had made her laugh. He then quickly searched for the site he needed and set about booking their accommodation. He was looking forward to their upcoming trip. He knew it would be just what they needed to start them on the long road to coming to terms with what they had both lost.

**~X~X~X~X~**

While Brooke and Julian were busy planning their trip to Vegas, Lucas was making his way into the cemetery. He staggered a bit as he walked which was down to the bottle of vodka he had managed to procure from the backseat of someone's car. He had justified his actions by thinking to himself that they shouldn't have been careless enough to leave their window open.

He took another long swig and grimaced at the taste as he made his way towards Ashley's memorial tree. He felt guilty that he hadn't been there much and realized that it was time he went to see what he classed as the final resting place of his baby. He'd kept putting it off as he couldn't face seeing the place again. Yet he knew that if he kept putting it off he would never go back there. That was one of the reasons that he had stolen the alcohol. He needed the extra courage to help him through his little trip to the tree.

He finally reached the spot where the tree was. He felt his insides twist painfully as grief washed over him and tears began to fall down his face. They obscured his vision even further; the alcohol he had consumed had begun that job. He tripped over his feet as he walked and felt himself fall. He felt like he was moving in slow motion, before he got a sharp pain in his head as it connected with the wooden stake that supported the tree. He landed in an ungraceful heap on the floor, knocking the stand with the plaque on it over in the process.

None of it really registered to Lucas in his grief. He barely registered the pain in his head or the blood seeping down his face that mingled with his tears. He was too caught up in finally giving into the pain he felt inside and everything else he had bottled up over the past several weeks since the shooting. He thought he had cried all that he could over it all, but now he realized that he had just been lying to himself. The news of Karen and Keith's impending trip into parenthood together had been the final straw and had made everything finally come bubbling to the surface. As everything washed over him he found himself curling up into a ball as he cried harder and wondered if he would ever get past the gut wrenching devastation he felt.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"I can't believe that I have mixed feeling looking at this," Karen said as she sighed. It was Monday afternoon and she and Keith had just gotten back to the house after their trip to the doctors office. Both had been unable to stop looking at the sonogram they had received. "I should be feeling overjoyed that everything is perfect. But with this whole Brooke and Lucas mess I can't help but feel bad."

"I know what you mean honey," Keith replied as he reached out and gently took hold of her hand across the kitchen table. "I feel exactly the same way."

"Part of me wishes that he would go back to the angry Lucas we had a few days ago," Karen said with another sigh. "This quiet, practically dormant Lucas we have now kind of scares me. And I dread to think what would have happened if you hadn't found him in the cemetery when you did."

"I'm thinking of heading round to see Brooke," Keith admitted after a few moments of silence. "I think it would be best if we sat down with them and we all had a discussion and got everything out in the open finally. I think the two of them have kept a majority of what they're feeling bottled up."

"I agree," Karen replied. "And we need to tell them how we feel about our baby and the timing. There's communication needed from all sides. I'm scared though that it will put too much strain on Luke's heart. The last thing we need is for him to have another heart attack."

"He's taking his medication honey," Keith told her in a soothing tone. "I know the stress of the whole situation isn't going to be good for him, but at least he's still taking his meds."

"Is he?" Karen asked sounding doubtful.

"He is. I make sure he takes them," Keith assured her. "I stay with him while he takes it and then make him show me he's swallowed it in case he tried pulling a fast one that way."

"I'm glad," she said in a small voice. She debated for a few moments before adding. "We should put this sonogram away for now. I feel leaving that around for him to see would be like rubbing salt into a wound."

"I agree," Keith replied as he took the image from her. "I'll go and put this in out room. Then I'll make you a nice cup of herbal tea. I'll use one of those types that are supposed to be relaxing."

Keith got up from his seat and headed to his and Karen's bedroom. He carefully placed the picture into the drawer on his night stand before returning to the kitchen. When he went back inside he was surprised to see Lucas sat at the table with Karen. His eyes were red and he held a crumpled letter in his hand.

"What is it Lucas?" Karen asked in a soft, worried tone.

"It's Brooke," he replied in a broken voice. "She's… she's gone."

"Gone?" Keith asked in an alarmed tone. "Gone how?"

"She's left Tree Hill," Lucas said in an emotion filled tone. "I found this letter on my bed when I got back from school. It's from her. She says I should forget about her and find someone else to spend my life with as she can't give me what I deserve. She says that she's leaving and not coming back and that I shouldn't look for her."

"Oh Lucas." Karen said at a loss for words as she watched her son break down in front of her.

"Maybe she'll change her mind," Keith said as he moved to the seat beside Lucas to try and offer him some form of comfort. "Maybe after a week or so away from here, she'll be able to think a little more clearly and realize where her heart truly lies."

"What if she does that and her heart doesn't lie with me?" Lucas asked through his tears.

"_If_ that happens then we'll be here to support you every step of the way," Karen promised him as her own eyes filled with tears. "But I saw the way the two of you looked at each other before this nightmare happened and I can guarantee you that her heart lies here. I'm not saying that it will happen instantly but Brooke will realize that she belongs here with you by her side. I know this is hard for you but you need to keep hold of the hope of her coming back. It will happen one day. I can promise you that."

"What if my life is over when that day comes?" Lucas asked in a voice that reminded Karen of when he had been a toddler. "What if she does decide to come back and I'm an old man on my death bed who never had a chance to live his life because he kept wishing for something that never happened?"

"All I can say is listen to your heart Lucas," Karen replied. The three of them picked up on the numerous meanings those words held. "If your heart tells you that it's time to move on then obey it. And don't feel guilty about it. You will find the person that you're meant to be with; I just know it. Just promise me that you won't give up."

"I can't make that promise mom," Lucas told her sadly. "I can't make that promise when I'm not even sure that I know what hope is anymore."

With that Lucas began to cry a fresh round of tears. Karen and Keith could only try to soothe him as they shared a helpless look. Neither knew how they would help him through this new development.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Brooke followed Julian as he pushed the trolley with their luggage on through the airport. They hadn't long landed in Vegas. Before they had left Tree Hill, Julian had actually sat down and had a conversation with his parents where he had told them exactly how he was feeling and how he needed a break away. He confessed of his and Brooke's plans and had been surprised when they had agreed to let him go. There had been a condition of course. Sylvia and Paul were due to join them the following day.

While Julian had been talking with his parents, Brooke had sneaked out to take Lucas the letter she had written the previous night. She knew that it wouldn't be fair to just up and leave Tree Hill without leaving him any explanation as to why. She had tried to convey everything she wanted to in that letter. Yet when she put pen to paper, she found it incredibly hard to find the words to explain just what was going on inside her. It had taken her almost four hours to write the short letter to him and she knew deep down inside that it was inadequate for what she wanted him to know.

After sneaking into the Scott house and leaving the envelope on his pillow, she had gone to say goodbye to Ashley and Lindsey. She may have made Julian believe that they were just going to Vegas for a short break, but she had other ideas. She knew she couldn't go back to Tree Hill with all the demons it held for her. She had devised another plan to make sure that she didn't go back there.

As the she and Julian stepped out of the airport into the pleasantly warm sunshine, she was drawn out of her thoughts by the car door being opened for her. Julian helped load the bags into the car as she made herself comfortable on the back seat. She found herself managing a small, genuine smile as their cab began to take them to their destination. Brooke realized that coming to Vegas had been the right decision to make.


End file.
